sands of mars
Format 1: 132 x 202 cm / 52 x 79.5 in, edition of 6 + 2 AP
Format 2: 67 x 102 cm / 26.3 x 40.2 in, edition of 6 + 2 AP
Hybrid photography, archival pigment print, aludibond, diasec, custom-made aluminium frame
“sands of mars” focuses on the idea of the future colonization of the planet Mars. Once a science-fiction fantasy, it is now the subject of serious feasibility studies. The Red Planet is unique in that it has the resources required to support a population of sufficient size to create a new local branch of human civilization. Colonization requires the establishment of permanent bases that have the potential for self-expansion, and inflatable habitats are one possible option for surface architecture on Mars. Geodesic spheres, as invented by Buckminster Fuller in the 1950s, might be the perfect architectural concept for Mars habitats. The landscape was photographed at a unique location in Chile’s Atacama Desert, which offers a similar type of landscape found on Mars and is used as a testing ground for future Mars rovers.
The artwork "sands of mars" visualizes the future scenario of a Mars habitat, merging the image of a remote and endless Mars-like landscape with three geodesic cupolas. It also focusses on the relationship between inside and outside space. In the early days of Mars colonization we will have an entire new planet to live on, but very little space to live in.