© NASA
What are we looking at when we look into the skies? ‒ The 5th episode of From The Moon
July 22 2021
In this episode we are going to reverse the telescope, and instead focusing our gaze on our home planet, we are going to stay on Earth and look out into space; taking this opportunity to look at our imaginary host, the Moon, and far beyond that too.
Simon Delalande from Unsplash
"There's always a mystery associated with the moon, because there's always a side of the moon that we can't see."
Mia Fineman
Astronaut Franklin R. Chang-Diaz works with a grapple fixture during extravehicular activity to perform work on the International Space Station © NASA
What are we looking at when we look into the skies? What is myth and what is scientific fact? This episode is going to be the very definition of multi-disciplinary ‒ we’ll be hearing from an astronaut and an astrophysicist ‒ as well as an artist, and a curator of photography. David’s first guest occupies a place within a very select group of humans ‒ those who have actually been into space. Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli shares with us how this extraordinary experience was from both a physical and psychological perspective. As we discover on the episode, looking (or going) into space is often a process of considering our own planet’s position within it, theoretical astrophysicist Dr.Katie Mack puts us on the right path and gives us an introduction to astronomy.
SPOILER ALERT: Did you know the Moon is leaving us?
Next, choreographer, artist and author Ivan Muller takes us through some of the many mythical, mystical and mind-related associations that the Moon has in a cultural context. Introducing a lunar visual history is curator of photography at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mia Fineman, who charts how humans began to visualise and capture the moon only very recently. Ending our journey into space, James Carpenter of the European Space Agency - attempts to swerve the conversion back to science, although as he explains, space exploration and geo-politics are so often intertwined.
"We can't really fully and truly grasp the moon and understand it, even though it's just there every single night."
Ivana Muller
Ivana Muller
Katie Mack © Nerissa Escanlar
"We are using resources in a way that doesn't take into account the future and looking at Earth from space, this becomes apparent."
Paolo Nespoli
Paolo Nespoli © ESA Stephane Corvaja
Mia Fineman
James Carpenter
Credits
Host: David Plaisant
Sound editor: Alex Portfelix
Soundtrack: Jon Arnold dei Super Drama
Production Triennale Milano: Marco Martello, Gabriele Savioli
