The Office of Experiments Neal White ~ The Office of Experiments
DOCUMENTATION - WORKS

SPACE ON EARTH STATION

THE VOID

SELF-EXPERIMENTATION

THE THIRD CAMPAIGN

SPACE ON EARTH STATION.

Neal White and N55. Camden Roundhouse, 2006.



A space station exploring the space of earth itself. It was designed and built co-operatively by N55 and Neal White, and is intended to mirror a spirit of International Coooperation that once existed in space research. This project in particular looks to Stewart Brand and the Whole Earth Catalogue, as well as Buckminster Fuller and Peter Pearce, whose work manifested from the abstract ideals of utopian modernism and turned it into practical solutions encompassing natural forms and systems as a basis for co-operative, futuristic living.
In the words of curator Rob LaFrenais, 'exploring a history of the future'. However, the project also operated in a contemporarty setting, in which the Space on Earth Station also facilitatedshared and open research as experiments in the use of, and access, to space, and aims to explore the physical, social and properties of its environs.

Other artists and curators which took part in the experiment include: Hive Networks, Alex Lockett, Ian England, Marcus Ahlers and Kayle Brandon.

 

Commissioned by Arts Catalyst.

 

Dedicated to Ingvil Aarbakke

MORE IMAGES flickr
SOES website


 

SPACE ON EARTH STATION

Exterior View (below) - The 4 Truncated Octahedrons were constructed in steel and plywoood, and then configured to create a station with three key access points. The central module is supported by the three other modules. The garden (by Alex Lockett) on the roof and solar shower, alternative vehicles, washing machines and exploratory vehicles (N55) were used during the placement. Kayle Brandon is making sketches, prior to creating her own module from a skip. Some other 'trashthings' that were created are documented here, and include a first version of the bird village.

Space on Earth Station

Interior Space - The Lab (below) - Each module comfortably houses 2-3 people working. . Image shows the Hive Network being tested.The table can be used as a bed. Through the porthole you can see the relaxation area. Seating 4-5 persons on beanbags, A bed space sleeping two crew was accessed through this space on the far left , a kitchen on the right.

Lab Interior

An early sketch (below) by Ingvil Aarbakke of N55, for whom this was very sadly her last project. The project itself is dedicated to her memory

ingvils sketch