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PC–001–170215. From the series Alternative Moons, 2017
© Robert Pufleb und Nadine Schlieper |
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Moonstruck. Photographic Explorations |
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| 8 June – 6 October 2019 |
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| Opening: Friday, 7 June, 6pm |
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| Figur auf rotem Quadrat, 2008 © Max Grüter |
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| The first manned Moon landing on 20 July 1969 (CET) was the greatest technological adventure of all time. Fifty years after man first set foot on the surface of the Moon, the Fotostiftung Schweiz (Swiss Foundation for Photography) takes a look back at photographic representation of this celestial body, which has captured the human imagination since time immemorial. Rather than being a scientific or documentary study of the Moon, the exhibition focuses on the translation of an elusive experience into images. The 'demystification' of the Moon is a shock but it has also released artistic energy. Romantic glorification has given way to a debate about humanity’s place in the universe. This is expressed in conceptual and epistemological approaches which nonetheless preserve the sensual fascination that emanates from the Moon. |
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| AS 15-16, 2018 © Luciano Rigolini |
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To date, only twelve human beings have ever set foot on this satellite of the Earth. Our concept of the Moon – and of Earth as a 'blue marble' – has therefore been shaped almost entirely by visual media; without having gone through the process of creating images, we would have had only a very rudimentary idea of its nature. Photographs, television cameras and other imaging techniques determine the way we picture the Moon, the cosmos and space travel, and how we see our place in the universe. The Moon is therefore an example for what Jean Baudrillard described in his theory of simulation: symbols and reality are increasingly becoming indistinguishable from one another.
The transformation of the Moon into a media happening reached its zenith with the first manned Moon landing. Being a part of the event via live TV broadcast was almost as miraculous for television viewers as the Moon landing itself. More than half a billion people gathered in front of their television screens – the biggest simultaneous event in history at the time. The three major US television channels showed the Apollo 11 mission for a total of 31 hours and distributed the footage across the globe (with the exception of the People’s Republic of China, where the Moon landing officially did not take place). The press followed suit – in 1969 alone, Life magazine dedicated eight front pages to the Moon missions. "Never before in the history of mankind has an event been followed and experienced with such passionate interest; never before has a human enterprise triggered such an exuberant out-pouring of enthusiasm", wrote the Swiss magazine Schweizer Illustrierte on 4 August 1969. |
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Onlookers #1. From the project The Universe Makers, 2016–2018
© Bianca Salvo / N.A.S.A Image and Video Library |
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This collective euphoria was not least due to the American communications strategy – compared to military operations in the past, the Apollo mission was an open book. NASA’s PR specialists argued that, in a sense, the media were the very point of the mission. Watched live, unedited and everywhere, it became a genuine experience of global intimacy.
This exhibition presents eleven perspectives showing how artists have used the medium of photography to react to the Moon, its 'conquest', and the enormous number of images produced in the course of one of the most momentous events of the 20th century. In addition to selected historical works, the exhibition features primarily contemporary pieces and installations. |
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| Pierrick sur la Lune, 2018 (holographic scene) © Pierrick Sorin |
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© 24 May 2019 photo-index UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
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