rauminhalt_harald bichler – space & content, Vienna, Austria.
Part of the series “Art and Science in Dialogue”
4.6.2024–11.7.2024
LIQUIFER. Living Beyond Earth – Architecture for Extreme Environments,
With the exhibition “Living Beyond Earth”, LIQUIFER presents selected architectural models and prototypes for extreme environments in the gallery rauminhalt from June 4 to July 11, 2024, which – divided into four thematic complexes – deal with different approaches to space architecture designs.
“Pursuit of Adaptability” is about adaptability through the transformation of spaces and habitats. The protagonist is the simulation habitat SHEE – Self-Deployable Habitat for Extreme Environments; a foldable habitat for training prospective astronaut teams for future moon or Mars missions. The EDEN ISS Greenhouse project, which simulates long-term space missions in the Antarctic under the focus “Replicating (Extra)Terrestrial Systems”, will also be presented. Projects such as Living Architecture, which focus on transforming our living spaces in inert buildings into programmable living structures, show that space architecture as a discipline is involved in the development of self-sufficient systems that are also relevant for terrestrial applications.
The search for sustainable designs for space exploration continues in the other exhibition space and shows how a “New Vernacular of Outer Space” is being created from local resources on the moon and Mars using 3D printing technology. RegoLight is a project in which interlocking components are printed from moon dust using only heat concentrated from the sun’s rays.
Architectural concepts for weightlessness in interplanetary space are also presented. The focus is on the design for the International Habitat Module of the new future Gateway lunar orbital space station. “When the natural state is motion” describes life without gravity and its design-determining parameters, also decisive, for example, in the design of the Earth orbital station A-Loop.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a rich programme of art-science conversations
Anchored in the exploration of architecture’s role in extreme environments, the exhibition displays international collaboration and fosters interdisciplinary dialogue. Complementing the exhibition are three conversations featuring artists, scientists, and space engineers. These dialogues serve as platforms for exchanging insights, cultivating new perspectives, and probing the interconnectedness of space and Earth. The series commences with a conversation with artist Sonia Leimer, followed by a dialogue between artist Joseph Popper and space engineer Reinhard Tlustos, conducted in English. Concluding the series is a talk with artist Eva Schlegel.
all images ©Bruno Stubenrauch