The Star Survey

Part of Firmament

The Star Survey is an interactive, performative workshop designed to elicit the imagination of participants by “transporting” them under a blank, new sky vault: that of Trappist, a “twin” planet of Earth located 40 light years away, thanks to an unprecedented photographic view produced in collaboration with Adler Planetarium (Chicago, IL).

Participants are invited to draw what they see on one or more geometric shapes derived from the most visible stars of the Trappist sky (see video above). A close, intimate and participative discussion follows, with each drawing becoming a constellation upon which values, thoughts, urgencies, and imaginations are projected.

Every session ends with the constitution of a new firmament, created by the participants, which will give a name to it as well.
Every firmament devised, every drawing, and all verbatim notes become part of the growing Archive of Potential Skies, a digital and physical interactive installation.

The Survey can take place in different forms, such as live or digitally; it can be targeted to different audiences (e.g. kids, adults, teenagers, seniors, etc.) and performed in tandem with different players (scientists, performers, other artists, curators, teachers, etc.)

Below: Some contributions by participants (via Instagram and live sessions)

at Gasworks, London, 2019.
photos by Keying Chen

at Archivio DOCVA, Milan, 2019.
performed with Rashayla Marie Brown, photos by Martina Bragadin and Alice Pedroletti 

at Guest Projects, London, 2019.
as part of An Alternative Map of the Universe.
photos by Katarzyna Perlak.

Hosted by Guest Projects and supported by the International Curators Forum, the three-day program and group show departed from the perspectives offered by Firmament to create a space of expression ad exchange for philosophers, performers, artists, and writers such as Larry Achiampong, Ewan Atkinson, Niklas Gustafson, Versia Harris, Emre Kazim, Paul O’Kane, Katarzyna Perlak, Pilar Quinteros, Abbas Zahedi. Curated by Jessica Taylor.