Astro art

Astro Art is the product of an artist and a creative idea, associated with astronomy or atmospheric objects or phenomena, both real or imagined, future or historical. It is the creative and often unique process of communicating ideas about such objects or effects.

Astronomical and Atmospherical art has been practised since time immemorial; many cave paintings are thought to be such genre. The art-form was also used to weave stories into songs (waiata) that became oral history, containing the most important information to resource and navigation, in many Pacific civilisations. The internet has enabled new methods of sharing many new images and modern computing software has enabled new methods of creating astro art. Digital photography has expanded to enable an ever increasing body of 'image capturers' with varying degrees of artistic result. Art, science, and technology often meet as equal partners for Astro artists while creating new work. Humour, sometimes apparently twisted, is another frequently encountered component.

Commentary

"..in the modern use of the word, which rose to prominence during the Renaissance, "art" is commonly understood to be the process or result of making material works (or artwork) which, from concept to creation, adhere to the "creative impulse"—that is, art is distinguished from other works by being in large part unprompted by necessity, by biological drive, or by any undisciplined pursuit of recreation. By both definitions of the word, artistic works have existed for almost as long as humankind, from early pre-historic art to contemporary art." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art] "As a form of cultural expression, art may be defined by the pursuit of diversity and the usage of narratives of liberation and exploration (i.e. art history, art criticism, and art theory) to mediate its boundaries. This distinction may be applied to objects or performances, current or historical, and its prestige extends to those who made, found, exhibit, or own them. Other than originality, there are no widely agreed-upon criteria for what is or isn't considered "art", and there are many divergent definitions of "art" to seek more specific requirements." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art]

Art: "also called visual art a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination. The term art encompasses diverse media such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, decorative arts, photography, and installation..... The various visual arts exist within a continuum that ranges from purely aesthetic purposes at one end to purely utilitarian…" [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9389134?query=sci%20fi%20%20art&ct=]

Quote

"Beware of artists - they mix with all classes of society and are therefore most dangerous...". Queen Victoria

Rules for Astro Art

* [edit=rayching] It's "Art is what Art says it is" to quote a well known and highly successful Kiwi ex-patriot artist. And I'm not too sure what an ex-patriot is at the moment. [/edit]

Technique

* Painting, Drawing
* Photography
* Digital Image creation and/or manipulation
* Sculpture
* Architecture
* Optical
* Mathematical
* Software
* Communications
* Teaching
* Print Making

Composition

* Terrestrial
* Atmospheric
* Astronomical
* Planetary
* Deep Space
* Science Fiction

Medium

* Paper, Canvas, Oil, acrylic, water colours, pencil, charcoal, etc, Examples - Awanui Hamon, Ursula MacFarlane
* Books, magazines, newspaper Examples - Work of the Gods
* Film, Video Examples - Solar Max, Star Trek, Dr Who, Star Wars
* Music Examples - Pink Floyd, Manfred Mann
* Theatre Examples - Bright Star, Circa Theatre, Wellington, New Zealand. Play about Beatrice Tinsley.
* Computer, Photographic - Screen based, still images, movies, local or projected. Examples - Sharing Space,
* Steel, Aluminium, other metal Examples - Umbrella Sculpture, Invercargill, New Zealand. Pipehenge, various locations around New Zealand.
* Ceramics, Stone, other rocks or bricks. Examples - Byrd Memorial
* Timber, poles, carvings. Examples - Civic square (Wellington)
* Postage Stamps
* Marketing Brochure
* Observatory Walls. Used to decorate observatories with themes, often historic. Examples - Gifford Observatory, Carter Observatory

Usefulness

* Illustration
* Stimulation
* Fun / Entertainment
* Education
* Information
* Publicity

Events

* SCANZ - [http://www.scanz.net.nz/artists_nz.html SCANZ]

Installations

* Invercargill, Known as "The City of Water and Light", New Zealand. Artist Russel Beck. An umbrella created in steel, in a public place, that is aligned with the south celestial pole, and shows the celestiall latitude and longitude. It is also a sundial. See 'Southern Stars' 2001 September [http://www.rasnz.org.nz/ RASNZ] [http://www.fourcorners.co.nz/new-zealand/Invercargill/ Image] The axis of the "handle" points to the south celestial pole, and the "raindrops" are all the brighter circumpolar stars, mapped out to their correct places with the "spokes of the umbrella" occurring at a set interval showing hours of RA.

* Wellington, A memorial to Admiral Byrd, using rocks from Antarctica, and glazed tiles with aurora australis impressionistic design as the cladding. The shape is pyramidal, with the main sloping roof line pointed at the SCP ( south celestial pole).

* Wellington, A set of diverse constructions, in the centre of the city. One is a spherical grille, suspended above civic square, with images of silver ferns. Another is pyramidal with slot cut through the main structure, the roof line pointed at the SCP, (south celestial pole). Various wooden poles with solar system objects are close to a pedestrian bridge, clad with carved wooden beams.

Websites Hosting Astro Art

* NASA, Spaceweather, [http://www.spaceweather.com/ Spaceweather dot com] : Hosting pictures of the day, the best of the best from around the world.

* Carter Observatory [http://www.carterobs.ac.nz/index.php?option=com_rsgallery&Itemid=83&catid=1 Astro Art] : "..we will be posting work that gives us a different view of the stars and the people that watch them." Carter Observatory website.

* MetVUW, [http://www.metvuw.com/ MetVUW dot com] : hosting New Zealand picture of the week, atmospheric photography by New Zealanders, weather themed.

* AstronomyNZ, [http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/index.htm AstronomyNZ] , [http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/phoenix/phoenix.htm The Phoenix Astronomical Society] : hosting Image of the Month

* Sharing Space, [http://www.astronomy.net.nz/ Sharing Space] : hosting astro art, images from New Zealand and Australia, aurora australis, with sections for atmospheric, solar system, and deep space.

New Zealand Artists working with Astro and related themes

* Awanui Hamon [http://www.hamonartnz.co.nz/index.html Hamonartnz] : Guardians of planet earth. It's Our Place, Lets look after it. Kaitiaki ote whenua IV. Works in oil

* Doreen Blumhardt, 88. A distinguished companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. [http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/older_and_under/grad_proves_learning_lifelong.htm Doreen Blumhardt] :ceramicist, art educator, created aurora australis designs on tiles for Byrd Memorial. ".. work is in many New Zealand and overseas galleries and institutions. The pioneer in art education was head of art at Wellington College of Education from 1951 till 1972."

* Richard Hall, [http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/maori/work_of_the_gods.htm Work of The Gods] , [http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/index.htm Pic of the Month] : Astronomer, Astro artist, based in Wellington and Waiarapa, writes books, creates astro art to illustrate concepts, and for astro calenders. Built Stonehenge Aotearoa.

* Russel Beck, : Invercargill sculptor, architect, engineer, astronomer.

* Ursula MacFarlane [http://ursula.vc.net.nz] , [http://ursula.vc.net.nz/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ArtFind.woa/3/wa/publicView?ownSiteURL=ursula.vc.net.nz&artistOwnSitePageView=gallery&seekType=3&artistCodeToShow=ursumacf&artworkPageLen=21 Artworks]
* Raewyn Turner [http://www.scanz.net.nz/artists_nz.html SCANZ] :..works have been shown in numerous national and international exhibitions including NZ Film Festival, Te Papa, Los Angeles MOCA, Canada, Germany, Argentina, Italy and Australia.

* Paul Moss [http://www.rayching.co.nz/sky.htm Atmospherics] : Published at [NASA] , [http://www.metvuw.com/ MetVUW] , [http://www.carterobs.ac.nz/index.php?option=com_rsgallery&Itemid=83&catid=1 Carter Observatory] , [http://www.phys.canterbury.ac.nz/newsletter/2003/nl20031107.pdf Canterbury University] , [http://denji102.geo.kyushu-u.ac.jp/denji/student/omata/omata.html Yoshio Omata - Kyushu University] , [http://news.local-group.jp/2004/apr.html Japan News Group] , [http://www.was.org.nz Wellington Astronomical Society] , [http://www.was.org.nz/01notices_11archive.html WAS Sharing Space] , [http://www.was.org.nz/01gallery.html WAS Gallery] ,

* Ray Ching [http://www.rayching.com/ Ray Ching dot com]

See also

* Space art
* MetVUW

External references

* [http://www.wellington.govt.nz/picturegallery/index.php?g=6 Wellington City Council Art and Architecture]