Telepresent Drawings in Space

Contributors | Ani Liu

Telepresent Drawings in Space asks, how can we transmit experiences across space and time? The launching point of the project is to create a drawing that could only have been made in space, and to capture an emotional aspect of space travel, through an art piece based on notions of telepresence.

For this payload, a mark making object (graphite) is placed in the nano lab, which is lined with paper. As the payload makes its journey, the mark making object the MMO will float about making a unique drawing of its experience. A sensor inside the box will simultaneously record its movements and position. This data and footage will be used to recreate the flight paths and movements of the graphite in an identical “sister” box with a CNC back on Earth, post flight.

This project occurs in two stages, and involves the capture of an object’s experience in zero gravity through a sensor and a drawing made in zero g, and the recreation of that object’s flight experience back on Earth through a robotic arm. The resulting objects for exhibition include the original box that went up for the launch, the drawings inside of it, and the "sister" box that shows the recreated movements of the graphite back on Earth.