Currently, a fragment of moon rock is circling the earth nonstop, inside a wooden crate, aboard a courier plane. This is Katie Paterson’s Second Moon project, and the piece of moon rock currently orbiting the our planet will be airborne for an entire year. Second Moon has already been around at least five times since September 2013, and won’t stop its artificial orbit until 2014.
Paterson, who works often in the intersection of science and art (such as this necklace made out of fossils) developed an app for the project as well. With it, one can track the anti-clockwise direction of the Second Moon, as it completes its 12-day journey from London, Shanghai, Adelaide, San Francisco, and back, completing the circuit. The app, developed with Supermono Limited, uses satellite photography to place the user in relation to the moon fragment.
Paterson, who was recently nominated as a visual artist of the year by the South Bank Sky Arts Awards, recently spoke to HyperAllergic about the genesis of the project:
“I was on a small island, looking up to the airplane contrail marks in the sky and thinking about the vast number of people, things, phenomena that are constantly circling above the earth – almost like man made orbits.”
When the Second Moon completes its year-long orbit, the piece becomes part of Paterson’s solo show at Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh. More info on her website.
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[via HyperAllergic]
