Arts and Space
Collide II
Space in Your Living Room! presents the second edition of Arts and Space Collide, taking place on 5 August 2020 at 17:00 CEST. This edition will feature a conversation between the first Belgium astronaut Dirk Frimout and Dutch artist AiRich.
What would happen to our perspective and understanding of Earth when we see it from space? Could it change our relation to our own planet? Could it help us re-imagine a different future for our planet? Arts and Space Collide II brings together astronaut Dirk Frimout and artist AiRich in an informal conversation on the power of creating different perspectives and re-imagining futures. This active discussion will explore how these perspectives can help us question our place in the universe and our responsibility to Earth and its citizens.
The live event will be streamed on spaceEU Facebook and YouTube channels.
About the Speakers
Dirk Frimout
Dirk Frimout is an astrophysicist, astronaut, and the first Belgian citizen to go into space. Dirk became an astronaut candidate in 1977 and joined the European Space Agency in 1978. He acted as a crew coordinator for several European experiments aboard Spacelab, a small reusable space station designed to fit in the Space Shuttle’s cargo bay. He was selected in 1978 for Shuttle flight STS-45 (the ATLAS 1 mission). Fifteen years later, he was the first Belgian in space, on board the Atlantis Shuttle on 24 March 1992. After Dirk carried out his dream of flying and floating in space, he directed several research teams in the fields of telecommunications (Belgacom), speech technology (Flanders Language Valley), and the biotech industry (Tibotec). Dirk Frimout is a Grand Officier de l'Ordre de Léopold and also received the title of Viscount.
AiRich
AiRichAiRich (pronounced as 'I-Rich') is a Dutch Visual Artist based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. AiRich unites the past and future to create her afro futuristic super beings. She uses portrait photography as a medium to tell empowering stories mostly inspired by black mythology and science fiction. The characters in her work are mostly portrayed by models with features and an appearance that does not conform to western beauty standards, emphasising the importance of rediscovering and redefining the black identity. Her works have been exhibited at the Rembrandthuis Museum, Creating Other Futures Festival and at OSCAM (Open Space Contemporary Art Museum), among others.
Contest: Ask an Astronaut your question!
Ever wanted to ask a question to an astronaut? This is your chance! Submit a question to Dirk Frimout! Young people up to the age of 18 with the most creative questions in text or other media forms (e.g. submitted in a video or image) will be invited to ask their questions live during Space in Your Living Room! - Arts and Space Collide II. Authors of the best questions will also have the chance to win a signed telescope, courtesy of SSVI. Winners will be announced at the annual World Space Week in September.
Questions must be submitted on spaceEU Instagram, Facebook or via email in Dutch. For more information on the contest rules and regulations, and of the Space in the Living Room!, please follow this link.
