The exhibition SPACE PROGRAM: RARE EARTHS is a staged mission to Vesta, a near-Earth asteroid, to harvest rare earth minerals needed to perpetuate Earth's addiction to technology.
US artist Tom Sachs and his crew of sculptor-astronauts have engineered the complete setting for a space mission at Hamburg's Deichtorhallen - a huge bricolage installation. Sachs's interactive landscape features handmade sculptures, life-size models, tools, devices, and ensembles created during his 13-year exploration into space and other worlds.
"Vesta offers unique possibilities for surface mining: gold, platinum, and palladium we need to fulfill our needs," Sachs says.
Tom Sachs, "Landing Excursion Module", 2007. Space Program: Mars - Park Avenue Armory, New York, 2012. Mixed Media. Photo: Genevieve Hanson ©Tom Sachs.
The Sachs exhibition's concept transforms the 3,000-square-meter museum hall into the space that will host his narrative; in this space, staged performances and interaction with the visitors become the key components for experiencing the show with all senses.
SPACE PROGRAM: RARE EARTHS opened in September with a "marathon activation" performed by the artist and his crew. Online visitors could follow the 12-hour-long science fiction-like procedure via livestream by purchasing a "time slot" ticket.
Throughout the exhibition, visitors go through an "indoctrination (sic) process" before being allowed to enter the installation. The guided visit through the museum thus becomes a participatory performance in itself, supported by the crew of "astronauts" and "experts" trained by the artist.
With SPACE PROGRAM: RARE EARTHS, Tom Sachs challenges aspects of modern creativity that relate to consumption, production, and environmental issues. The artist - obsessed with plywood, foam core, glue pistols, and electric screwdrivers - describes his sculptures as "objects of love" that honor human construction and the creative traditions of crafting, artisanal work, and DIY.
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