When on October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, life as was previously known changed forever. From that moment on, the development of space technologies spread like wildfire, inciting a so-called Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. In this real life drama, competition between the two countries was fierce: one nation would develop an amazing new technology, and in response the other would produce a technology even more astounding. The tensions during the Cold War fueled this Space Race, and led to greater development of outer-space technology faster than any other previous space research periods.
Sputnik’s influence upon the Cold War and space technologies had a profound effect on shaping aerospace development.
This led the United States to invest more money into education and placed more emphasis on math and science in schools. The growing interest and emphasis in space technology shaped both American society and art culture. Throughout events such as sending a chimpanzee to space, the failure of the Challenger launch, the moon landing, and various other milestones in both US and international space development, space technology and the cosmos captured the attention of citizens and had a subsequent effect on popular culture. Art now began to incorporate ideas of space and technology; concepts which had been previously nonexistent were now visible manifestations. As Petkovic states, “The moon and outer space have long symbolized mystery, romance, adventure, escapism, the fears and seduction of the unknown.”
Artistic representation of space, such as this Normal Rockwell image, romanticized outer space and further fueled human fascination with the cosmos.
This fascination with outer space manifested itself in various forms of art. In television, we see cartoon representations of space in “The Jetsons” and of galactic exploration and extraterrestrial life in classic movies and shows such as “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.” Artistic design in architecture and entertainment was prominent in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, as the 1960s saw the opening of rides such as “Adventure Thru Inner Space” and “Flight to the Moon.” Countless book series such as Tom Swifty engaged readers in outer space adventures, and the science fiction genre exploded with new works. Various areas of artistic exhibition, ranging from paintings to sculptures, to music and comic books, greatly reflected the synthesis of art and science, allowing this age of the fascination with space exploration to be preserved in popular culture through different artistic mediums. Not only did developments in space exploration better our scientific societies, but it also bettered our artistic society, successfully blending science and art into a single culture.
References:
Garber, Steve. “Sputnik and the Dawn of the Space Age.” NASA. Web. 10 October 2007.http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/
Franklin, H. Bruce. “Science Fiction: The Early History.” Andromeda. Web. http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~hbf/sfhist.html
NASA. “NASA art remembers 50 years of space exploration.” NASA. Web. 26 May 2011. http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/nasa-art-remembers-50-years-of-space-exploration/8
Petkovic, John. “Moon landing, outer space have long inspired pop culture.” Cleveland. Web. 19 July 2009. http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2009/07/moon_landing_outer_space_have.html
Vesna, Victoria. “Space Exploration + Art part 2.” Youtube. Web. 29 July 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLZMDpoP-u0
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog this week and the emphasis that you put on how space technology has really changed society-- I completely agree. I really liked the Petkovic quote you included as I really think it captures the interest in space that society has and why artists are so attracted to this field. I also enjoyed your reference to Disneyland's incorporation of space into their Tomorrowland, because although I have been there several times I failed to think of this connection when going through this weeks material. In addition, I also was able to see how this week more than ever highlighted the intertwined role of art and science and how they have blended into a single culture. I found through my research this week that artists not only are inspired by space, they play an important role in disseminating information about space and science to the public. In fact NASA actually even created their own Space Art program that hired artists and gave them access to exclusive NASA materials in order to create artwork that depicted space.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed reading your blog. It speaks clearly to how impactful the space race was; it wasn't just scientific advancement, it was also a political agenda that changed every facet of our society (from education to pop culture). The space race really brought different disciplines together to serve a common goal. I also enjoyed all the examples you gave in how space manifests itself in art. In my blog this week, I focused a little on how science fiction can influence space technology. http://uxpamagazine.org/science-fiction-to-science-fact/ This might be an interesting resource for you to check out.
ReplyDeleteIn your blog, I appreciated that you gave an in depth historical background to the Space Race and the technology that it sparked. By mentioning each event and how it contributed to the attention of citizens and popular culture, you brought up a great point in how the growing interest contributes to more funding and ultimately more knowledge. The quote too that you included by Petkovic was also very interesting because it reveals that it’s natural in human nature to be curious and what we don’t know (space) is what we want to know, and as humans we’ll do everything in our power to fuel our fascination for the unknown.
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