Outcome
Research
I decided to explore the cliches used to market cosmetic industry products regarding the effects of gravity on human skin and I tried to imagine how a capitalist mindset might still find ways to profit from the adverse effects of low gravity on Mars (i.e. improved skin elasticity compared to Earth) by changing perspective and playing instead on the human desire of belonging/fitting in.
Brief: Gravity
Design an alternative gravity. On Earth we experience 1g of gravity, in space astronauts experience 0g. Living in a weightless environment has severe consequences for the human body, including a loss of proprioceptive ability and bone density. Weightlessness also affects our perceptions and dreams. Mars has 38% of Earth’s gravity. The practicalities of living there for long periods include the hardship of returning to Earth gravity, and the difficulty of growing food to eat. As organisms and societies we are profoundly connected to the properties of Earth’s gravitational field.
We are bound by gravity, one of the fundamental forces in the universe. Our bodies and minds are structured and shaped by the Earth’s gravitational field. Our visual and digestive systems are interdependent on Earth gravity. The nature of time and space are determined by gravity. We are subjects of planetary motion and defined in relation to it. Our cultural forms, from architecture to graphic design, are produced in response to our understanding of gravity and our abilities to manipulate or defy it.
The dream of slipping the bonds of Earth was thought by Carl Jung to be expressed in the mass subconscious in the form of dreams. The ancient Greeks used the myth of Icarus to explore the dangers of pride and ecstasy. Escaping Earth’s gravity offers the chance to shrug off the limits of terrestrial restriction with all the associated challenges for body and mind that it brings. In language mass is used imply seriousness – a weighty idea is an important or intelligent one. A light outcome is one lacking in depth or sophistication.
Non-Newtonian physics shows us that spacetime itself is warped by gravity. Einstein’s general theory of relativity explains how space is not an empty place dotted with stars but a topology, a field, a geometry that is contorted by gravity. Time is effected by gravity. For example, time passes faster on geo-stationary satellites than it does on Earth, this is corrected so that GPS systems remain accurate.
This project is about exploring the design potential in the abstract and invisible properties of gravity. You could think about how the human body might react to an alternative gravity, or how culturally distinct understandings of gravity have given rise to diverse beliefs. Above all you should aim to be playful and experimental.
REFERENCES
The Human Body in Space, https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/bodyinspace
Smetacek, V., 2002. Balance: Mind-grasping gravity. Nature, 415(6871), p.481.
Kiefer, C., 2011. Time in quantum gravity. In The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Time.