In 2018, Palais de Tokyo gave the artist Tomás Saraceno free rein to present his latest research centred on biomimetics and the Anthropocene. Passionate about the upper atmosphere, he transcends reality to create a poetic space that heightens our imaginative capacities. Since 2015, Aerocene has brought together artists, makers, and scientists to explore opportunities for humankind to surpass itself (the workshop ‘Museo Aerosolar’ was presented as food for thought at COP 21, December 2015). This project is part of a post-fossil fuel and border-free utopia where humankind and objects move in the air by means of solar heat and infrared radiation. Working with the atmosphere and the sun?  Mission accomplished! In October 2018, the project set a new world record for the longest flight in a solar-powered, manned balloon. Two months later, in December, the Aerocene Foundation came to Miami as part of Art Basel: 40 reflective umbrellas joined together to create a vast, airborne hemispheric sun dial to the backdrop of music by Solar Sound System. With Aerocene, Tomás Saraceno proves how fossil energies can be circumvented by contemporary art and that invention is within our grasp. 

Alice Audouin et Lisa Toubas

February 2019

Crédit : Projet Aerocene, Tomàs Saraceno, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, photo: Alexey Narodizkiy

Find all the articles from Impact Art News n°6 – February 2019

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