Vivienne Gaskin Art in Space

Vivienne is Writer in Residence for the LifeInSpace project. As Writer in Residence she will be taking a Zero Gravity flight in July 2008.

A Zero Gravity Flight in Moscow
LifeInSpace was formed in 2004 by Lyn Hagan for the duration of two works: Project One and Project Two. Project One is a zero gravity (parabolic) flight for artists selected whose work was believed to be highly experimental and boundary pushing in both its concept and technical realisation. LifeInSpace decided to curate from both established and emerging international artists, on the sole condition that no participant had been in zero gravity before.

It is planned that on the IL-76 parabolic aeroplane in Star City, the performances will take place over 20 parabolas, offering 23 seconds of weightlessness for each parabola with short periods of 2G in between. In this time and in these conditions the artists selected must realise their ambitions.

A cat and a mouse will be released within an area of the aeroplane and set on a trajectory whilst their reactions to their environment and one another are documented in this theatrical setting. By situating the animals as actors in a staged environment, their predator-prey instincts form the script for the performance. The play will form through their reactions to one another and any adaption over the repeated parabolas and states of weightlessness. No two species have been tested together in zero gravity before.


	Vivienne is Writer in Residence for the LifeInSpace project. As Writer in Residence she will be taking a Zero Gravity flight in July 2008. A Zero Gravity Flight in Moscow LifeInSpace was formed in 2004 by Lyn Hagan for the duration of two works: Project One and Project Two. Project One is a zero gravity (parabolic) flight for artists selected whose work was believed to be highly experimental and boundary pushing in both its concept and technical realisation. LifeInSpace decided to curate from both established and emerging international artists, on the sole condition that no participant had been in zero gravity before. It is planned that on the IL-76 parabolic aeroplane in Star City, the performances will take place over 20 parabolas, offering 23 seconds of weightlessness for each parabola with short periods of 2G in between. In this time and in these conditions the artists selected must realise their ambitions. A cat and a mouse will be released within an area of the aeroplane and set on a trajectory whilst their reactions to their environment and one another are documented in this theatrical setting. By situating the animals as actors in a staged environment, their predator-prey instincts form the script for the performance. The play will form through their reactions to one another and any adaption over the repeated parabolas and states of weightlessness. No two species have been tested together in zero gravity before.