Conquest of Space – Contemporary Art and Sci-Fi
Sam Leach
Cinder with Partial Dymaxion, 2013, Oil on linen, 127x127cm, courtesy the artist and COFA
ArtiFacts Eastside.
Join me, Jane Raffan, for interviews with Dr Andrew Frost on the exhibition Conquest of Space: Science Fiction and Contemporary Art.
Conquest of Space “reveals previously unexplored intersections between science fiction (SF) and art, such as technology and formal expressions. Science fiction in its most popular manifestations – such as literature and cinema – expresses cultural anxieties and desires through a set of concepts, tropes and themes shared with the visual arts.”
Dr. Andrew Frost is an art critic, writer, broadcaster and lecturer. In 2007 Frost wrote and presented the three part series The Art Life for ABC1 followed by a second series in 2009. This project also includes a film program- Future Screen – symposium and an upcoming documentary, to air in November on the ABC.
And the music? Avant-garde jazz, funk, R&B, and electronica taking cues from the program’s sci-fi theme. Artist include Bobby Previte, Ponga, Asha Puthli, Portishead, Bill Laswell and Medeski, Martin & Wood. And yes, just maybe a soundtrack from a favourite sci-fi film …
If you were hoping for more soundtracks then check-out Andrew Frost’s sci-fi soundscapes (themes from films) on Soundcloud:
Part I: https://soundcloud.com/andrewfrost/cos-part-1-something-approaches-from-the-south-west
Part II: https://soundcloud.com/andrewfrost/cos-part-2-sworn-enemies-of-earth
More on the exhibition Conquest of Space: https://www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/galleries#COS
More on Future Screen: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/calendar/future-screen/