EarthSeeds - Humanity's Ultimate Purpose in the Evolution of Life

The Artistic Issues

As Earth is the only outpost of Life in the universe that we know of, our planet is already a special place and we are lucky to be a part of its living system. Without Earth’s unique cosmic characteristics our species would not be here, contemplating its place and purpose in the Cosmos. But knowing that Life is apparently a rare and precious development, our responsibility as the dominant species on the planet is to take care of our precious cosmic home and to insure the ultimate survival of all Life which has originated here. If we understand and embrace the awareness that all Life is also interdependent and interconnected, the result should be that we will make Earth a greater place to live and to cherish. Looking around our immediate cosmos, we have come to realize the Earth is the most beautiful planet that we have so far discovered because it is alive and Life is actually everything. Therefore, let us accept our role as stewards of the planet and try to think of our home planet as a work of art – work of art  in progress - and let’s work together to make it even more beautiful and nurture all the Life that shares our cosmic home.

The advent of spaceflight marks the beginning of the genre of astronautical art. Since then, artists began to initiate projects to explore outer space on their own artistic terms by proposing art concepts designed to be realized in the outer space environment, by utilizing space technologies and materials for their artistic purposes or with their own bodies and projects in Zero-G or micro-gravity environments. A comprehensive overview of the astronautical arts called "An Astronautical Perspective on the Arts and Space" has been published on the Greater.Earth website.

The EarthSeeds art intervention was originally initiated in 1990. The first public presentation of the project was an art installtion created at the 46th International Astronautical Congress in Oslo, Norway, in 1995. The first technical presentation took place at the 48th International Astronautical Congress in Torino, Italy in 1997 where the concept was further defined in a paper  - accompanying another art installation - with the title SEEDS - Synergizing Earth's Evolutionary Development Spacewards.  Since then other exhibitions of the project have taken place at various art events and space venues. The next important presentation with take place during the 2017 Venice Art Biennale as part of the Greater.Earth art installation.

Proposed EarthSeeds / Greater.Earth installation for the 2017 Personal Structures
exhibition during the 2017 Venice Art Biennale

The purpose of th EarthSeeds art intervention has been to initiate a realistic program to develop and send artistic payloads containing organic material into space. This effort was conceived of as an art intervention in order to have wide latitude in its process of development and implementation. The first realizations in space will obviously be more symbolic than realistic. However, these artitic efforts will serve as communication vehicles for the concept as well as to build experience and to accumulate data. They are also a means to engage the interest and the participation of the public.

EarthSeeds is one of several spaceart interventions being developed in the Greater.Earth program. While each of these interventions have their particular focus and message, the technologies and development processes overlap in a synergistic manner. Thus all the space art interventions can be practically and realistically developed simultaneously.

• The Space Peace Star , an orbital sculpture in the sahpw of the astonomical symbol of the Earth, focuses on the issue of "war" as the main threat to civilization. It is desigend as a global collaborative initiative to influence the direction of humanity's future from one of war, chaos and misery to one of peace, hope and prosperity. Its message of Peace on Earth, Peace off Earth, Peace with Earth will be integrated in a star in the sky that can be seen and experienced by most people on Earth. War and space exploration may be incompatible and mutually exclusive activities for a techologically advanced species.
• The Space Option Star is an inflatable sculpture in the shape of an icosahedron that is covered with solar panels which promotes the idea that solar energy harvested in space can help solve humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels with a CO2 neutral solution. Having an unlimited source of environmentally friendly energy would also lessen many of geoplolitical tensions that are behind the cusues for war. The inflatable icosahedron structure was originally developed as the Millennium SEED.
• Cosmic Stones is a spaceart intervention with the message that humanity’s future should rather be a Space Age than a Stone Age. By sending Earth's stones into space it works on a symbolic non-technical level. By transforming these stones into individual artworks, the important role of art in space exploration is re-confirmed.
  
  

Thus, as each of these art interventions develop, the possibility of integrating EarthSeed payloads also increases.

Artworks specific to the EarthSeeeds art intervention are being created and sold to people who want to support the project. Hopefully millions of people will want to support this and other Greater.Earth art interventions.

 

EarthSeed One

EarthSeed One is a minimal and symbolic work that is both a collage and a digital fine art print in which a seed has been placed in the center of the astronomical symbol of our planet – a globe bisected into four quarters by lines representing the equator and a meridian.

This and other artworks may be purchased on the Greater.Earth website.