Artwork that can exist only in outer space came to life aboard the International Space Station after it was delivered by the first ever private mission to arrive there.
A doctor of physics worked with an artist to devise the work ‘Impossible Object’, but they would not see the results until the AX-1 mission reached the space hub.
The sculpture is created by liquid water traveling upon a tapestry of brass rods and tubes—but only when there is an absence of gravity.
Without any gravity to direct the water downward, it sticks to the ladder-like metallic structure, and makes bubbles of varying size—whereas, on Earth, the water simply dribbles away.
Its creators say the structure “questions shape and form”.
“In the absence of gravitation, what is the shape of a piece of sea or a handful of a wave?” says Liat Segal, the artist involved in developing the statue.
The movement of the liquid in zero gravity surprised even its creators, who thought the water might wrap itself around the structure. They also speculated that the water’s shape would be wavy, like the ladder.
The two women suggested that their artwork taps into our passion for unveiling the unknown.
“It doesn’t have any up and down because that is the way it is in space.”
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The physicist, Dr. Yasmin Maroz of Tel Aviv University, was intrigued to create a shape that couldn’t be predicted.
“I think that one of the really cool things about this project is that the medium here is basically the physics of water. When we wanted to try and plan and develop our sculpture, we really had to understand what are the underlying forces.
“It was odd because we kind of stepped back and wow, we are trying to imagine how this is going to look in space.”
The sculpture which is folded and packed within a compact white box was taken to the ISS station by astronaut Eytan Stibbe, who simply had to unfold it and activate it with water. (Watch the results below…)
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“When I saw it for the first time I had tears in my eyes because I was so excited for the opportunity that we had. The results, I think, were spectacular.
“Part of what was so spectacular about it was that it wasn’t what we expected, and it was beautiful.
“The sculpture has this kind of jewel-y quality to it, it is very polished and clean and on a white pedestal as if you just took it out of an art gallery.”
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Ms. Segal and Dr. Meroz first met when they were studying for their masters degrees at Tel Aviv University, but their paths diverged when Meroz decided to become a physicist and Segal pursued fine art.
Years later they were recruited by the Rakia Mission that seeks to launch art in space, and they see their collaboration as the ‘fairy dust’ that sparks ideas in both fields.
Watch the unveiling of ‘Impossible Object’ in space…
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