Our fascination with celestial bodies and the cosmos is one that congruously connects all human beings, across time and space. While some of the earliest religions found deities in the sun, moon and stars; recent times have been wrought up in the race to traverse extended distances in outer space. From a child’s initial drawings to modernised Sufi renditions of kun faya kun, a persistent reference to the wonders of nature, as manifested in the sky and beyond, is a consistently addressed subject. While happenings in space are directly addressed only across tables dedicated to the discussion of the subject in a scientific temperament, the influence of celestial bodies' motions is often considered as the determinant of various individual destinies, and hence, examined obliquely. These entities, visible only in a minuscule capacity from the Earth, are also a source of comfort and calmness for those distressed. Their influence, then, upon design, art, philosophical rationale and epistemological explorations, is only imperative. An ongoing exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts (mudac), in Lausanne, Switzerland, seeks to address these divergent associations and interests about outer space.

On view from September 8, 2023, to February 4, 2024, the programme, entitled Space is the Place, focuses on the complex relationship between our planet and the cosmos. It platforms the works of various designers, artists and science fiction writers, and comprises two exhibitions, three publications and a series of engaging events. “Our fascination with outer space is an anthropological constant: we have projected our destinies, our desires, our beliefs and, since the beginning of the space age, our bodies and our habitat into space,” reads an excerpt from the press release.

Citing the influence of the scientific revolution on space exploration and the planetary condition, the organisers reminisce about the rapid advances in science and technology. “These are also intertwined with the visions of the future that are dedicated to them, and with shared dreams expressed through such forms as space operas—a subgenre of science fiction. Space is the Place investigates our relationship with outer space and takes us on a journey there and back,” the museum shares. The two main exhibitions that are part of the event are Cosmos and Terra, respectively.

The first exhibition, veritably entitled Cosmos. Design from Here and Beyond, serves as an examination of the universe from Earth. Curated by Marie Pok and Thomas Hertog, the exhibition encompasses scenography by Ghaith&Jad, and its visual identity by Ekta. It platforms a series of works by various artists and designers, all of which showcase these creatives’ fascination with the laws of astrophysics, observable phenomena and the beauty of the cosmos. The exhibition seeks to invite an aesthetic reflection on time and space, and the origin and end of these realms. “Black holes, dark matter, nebulae, exoplanets, gravitational waves, the Big Bang, the multiverse… The countless cosmic objects and phenomena that make up our universe are sources of inspiration for literature, music, visual and performing arts… Design is no exception to this fascination,” mentions the exhibition text.

This exhibition showcases various conceptual, technical and poetic works that seek to examine common queries about our place in the universe, the history and process of cosmic evolution, and the reason behind the universe's existence. Works on display seek to discern the architecture of the universe and the laws of physics that govern their motions. These works push the viewers to view our relationship with the cosmos in an enhanced and visceral manner. Some works on display, as part of Cosmos, include Studio Furthermore’s Moon Rock, Vico Magistretti’s Eclisse and Charles and Ray Eames’s 1977 film Powers of Ten. While Moon Rock comprises lunar cut mineral ore furniture, light sculptures and collectable rocks that resemble minimally polished geological edifices, Eclisse is an award-winning lamp.

The second exhibition, entitled Terra. Designing Our Planet reverses the perspective of looking at our planet from space. “The exhibition examines the techno-scientific promises of absolute control and manipulation of our planet, inherited from the Age of Enlightenment and largely accelerated by the industrial revolution and, more recently, geoengineering,” the organisers at mudac elaborate. Curated by Jolanthe Kugler and Scott Longfellow, with scenography by Camille Neméthy and graphic identity by Notter+Vigne, the exhibition explores Earth as a design object, and its evolution—from a space of habitation to an artefact that human beings can measure, control, modify and manipulate. It examines the actions that have unfolded on Earth since the inception of human civilisations and how our planet has been configured through artificial interventions.

Enunciating upon the evolution of human species and their influence on Earth, the curators share, “Born of necessity linked to agriculture and then to the organisation of human activities, accelerated by utilitarian and conquering ambitions, then by a techno-scientific vision linked to the industrial revolutions, the design of our planet is embodied in different processes: representing the world through cartography, shaping it through land-use planning, modelling it to anticipate natural phenomena and, nowadays, influencing it through geoengineering projects that aim to react to the new climate regime through artificial interventions on a planetary scale.” Through the display of various invigorating installations, the curators seek to establish the understanding that designing not only produces objects but influences relationships amongst sentient and non-sentient beings. Such an understanding can pave the way for critically examining canonical design processes and methods.

One of the works on display at this exhibition is Fragmentin’s Displuvium, which is an artistic research that examines the human desire to control our natural environment, particularly meteorological phenomena. Joanie Lemercier’s Slow Violence, a multi-screen audiovisual installation, ponders upon Hambach, a site near Cologne that has become a hotspot for environmental activism over the mining activities in the region. Archival works such as Carte de la terre carrée et stationnaire by Orlando Ferguson hint at the theory of a flat and stationary world, and Archive of Impossible Objects: Globes by Dunne & Raby is an installation that represents various worlds as depicted in literature, thought experiments and science-fiction comics and films.

Additionally, the programme comprises a series of screenings, lectures, performances, workshops and installations. One of these includes Flat Earth, an event held in October 2023, to examine the explanations posed by flat-earthers to propose their theory. The event, through film and media installations, seeks to invite visitors to examine this apparent conspiracy theory. An installation within the space, Hysteresia is a listening station for zombie satellites, to be activated by two artistic interventions—one, by Stéfane Perraud and Aram Kebabdjian, and the other by Aho Ssan who will offer a sound performance. Another programme, namely CTRL Earth, which was held from November 9 to 16, 2023, was designed to look at technology in the face of climate change, through a lecture event and two interactive workshops by Terra Forma and Fragmentin. Infinite Tangible, held in December 2023, focused on the interactions between design and astrophysics, and Way Beyond, held in January 2024, presented the complex connections that humans create with their environments and its political implications. The event also showcased over 32 films on the exploration of outer space in cinema. Some of these include High-Life by Claire Denis, Explorer by Joe Dante and 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick.

During this event, three publications, namely Cosmos, Keep it Flat, and Objectif Terre, were also unveiled. Cosmos encompasses the catalogue for the eponymous exhibition at mudac. It compiles nearly 40 projects displayed at the museum, all of which examine the many ways in which the architecture of the cosmos inspires designers. From lamps shaped in the form of a planet to furniture emulating the textures of meteorites and mirrors that act as a gravitational lens, the projects vary in scale, usability and inspiration. The book carries texts by Shahrazad Ameur, Thomas Hertog, Francesco Lo Bue and Marie Pok.

Objectif Terre is a book that asks: “Has our planet become an object of design?” It traces how the Earth has begun to be objectified through various processes over the years, while also examining the effects of this phenomena on our planet. While the initial portion of the book comprises a glossary of 20 techno-scientific concepts, the subsequent chapters comprise dedicated essays by artists and designers, where each writer looks at systemic disruptions we are currently facing. The essays are conceived by Jolanthe Kugler, Scott Longfellow, Aram Kebabdjian, Stéfane Perraud, Joseph Popper, Fragmentin Collective, Tellart, Julie e Bibasse and Joanie Lemercier. Three final chapters in the book, written by technology historian Sabine Holler, design curator Scott Longfellow, and philosopher Frédéric Neyrat are dedicated to the concepts of Spaceship Earth, total design on a planetary level, and an in-depth analysis of the happenings on Earth.

Lastly, Keep it Flat dives into the many hypotheses presented through the years, in favour of the flat earth theory. From songs to interviews and exhibitions to historical references, the book traces several happenings in the past few decades that mark cardinal events in line with the advocacy heralded by flat-earthers. The blurb from the book aptly conveys, “Like a giant tortoise shell, with a dome or without…the many shapes of the flat Earth act as a cartographic representation of dissent, a final bulwark against modernity. What is the flat earth theory? How has it hijacked political and scientific events to offer an alternative narrative?”

The exhibition ‘Space is the Place’ is on view until February 4, 2024, at mudac, Lausanne, Switzerland.