Venus and Artemis
(Astro-geological maps of the surface of Planet Venus.)
2024, Printed Cotton bed linen (duvet 150 x 200 cm, pillowcase 74 x 48 cm)
Michael Whittle
Venus geological maps courtesy of Vicky L. Hansen and Iván López
(Astro-geological maps of the surface of Planet Venus.)
2024, Printed Cotton bed linen (duvet 150 x 200 cm, pillowcase 74 x 48 cm)
Michael Whittle
Venus geological maps courtesy of Vicky L. Hansen and Iván López
About the Artwork:
Professors Vicky L. Hansen and Iván López have meticulous mapped the Niobe Planitia and Aphrodite Terra regions of planet Venus, revealing a complex tapestry of geological features that hint at a dynamic and active past.
The ‘Venus and Artemis’ project, brings these otherworldly landscapes into the realm of human experience, by adapting Hansen and López’s vivid astro-geological maps into colourful bed linens, and inviting viewers to intimately engage with the alien terrain of Venus.
The act of naming features on other worlds after historical and mythological figures, is also brought to the forefront. As guests at the exhibition rest on these celestial cartographies, they’re encouraged to ponder the interplay between scientific discovery and human storytelling, and to contemplate our enduring fascination with worlds beyond our own.
Professors Vicky L. Hansen and Iván López have meticulous mapped the Niobe Planitia and Aphrodite Terra regions of planet Venus, revealing a complex tapestry of geological features that hint at a dynamic and active past.
The ‘Venus and Artemis’ project, brings these otherworldly landscapes into the realm of human experience, by adapting Hansen and López’s vivid astro-geological maps into colourful bed linens, and inviting viewers to intimately engage with the alien terrain of Venus.
The act of naming features on other worlds after historical and mythological figures, is also brought to the forefront. As guests at the exhibition rest on these celestial cartographies, they’re encouraged to ponder the interplay between scientific discovery and human storytelling, and to contemplate our enduring fascination with worlds beyond our own.
Michael WHITTLE
Michael Whittle is an artist and researcher specializing in Diagrammatology, the study of diagrams. He previously qualification and training as a Biomedical Scientist, before changing subject to study fine art. His artistic practice incorporates images, ideas, and data from science, as well as dialogues with scientists about their research interests and motivations. Recent projects include ‘Butterfly on the Sun’, a large-scale installation for the 2022 Changwon Sculpture Biennale developed in consultation with astrophysicist David Hathaway of NASA’s Ames Research Center. In 2023, Whittle co-founded ‘Pollen’ with artist-technologist Atticus Sims, an AI-powered creative studio in Kyoto, Japan. He is currently Associate Professor of Contemporary Art in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Macau.
Michael Whittle is an artist and researcher specializing in Diagrammatology, the study of diagrams. He previously qualification and training as a Biomedical Scientist, before changing subject to study fine art. His artistic practice incorporates images, ideas, and data from science, as well as dialogues with scientists about their research interests and motivations. Recent projects include ‘Butterfly on the Sun’, a large-scale installation for the 2022 Changwon Sculpture Biennale developed in consultation with astrophysicist David Hathaway of NASA’s Ames Research Center. In 2023, Whittle co-founded ‘Pollen’ with artist-technologist Atticus Sims, an AI-powered creative studio in Kyoto, Japan. He is currently Associate Professor of Contemporary Art in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Macau.
Vicky HANSEN:
Renowned planetary scientist Vicky Hansen has participated in field-based research with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Alaska, Arizona, California and Washington. She has also conducted field work in Antarctica, Australia, Minnesota, and Yukon, and she has conduct ‘remote’ field studies across much of Venus. On Venus, Hansen employs NASA Magellan Mission data, with the goal to develop a comprehensive understanding of the global evolution of Venus
through time. Discovery of the nature of once active but now extinct tectonic processes that shaped Venus also provides insight about operative processes during early Earth evolution. Hansen is currently the McKnight Presidential Endowed Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Renowned planetary scientist Vicky Hansen has participated in field-based research with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Alaska, Arizona, California and Washington. She has also conducted field work in Antarctica, Australia, Minnesota, and Yukon, and she has conduct ‘remote’ field studies across much of Venus. On Venus, Hansen employs NASA Magellan Mission data, with the goal to develop a comprehensive understanding of the global evolution of Venus
through time. Discovery of the nature of once active but now extinct tectonic processes that shaped Venus also provides insight about operative processes during early Earth evolution. Hansen is currently the McKnight Presidential Endowed Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Iván LÓPEZ:
Iván López is a Spanish geologist whose research spans volcanic activity throughout the Solar System, from field studies of volcanism in Spain’s Canary Islands to remote sensing investigations of cryovolcanism on moons of giant planets. Using NASA and ESA mission data, combined with his field research across Earth, López creates maps that reveal the processes shaping the surfaces of different planetary bodies. This comparative approach helps deepen our understanding of both planetary evolution and Earth’s geological history. Currently Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, Geology, Physics and Inorganic Chemistry at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, López was recently selected by ESA and NASA to study and advise on future strategies for exploring Venus.
Iván López is a Spanish geologist whose research spans volcanic activity throughout the Solar System, from field studies of volcanism in Spain’s Canary Islands to remote sensing investigations of cryovolcanism on moons of giant planets. Using NASA and ESA mission data, combined with his field research across Earth, López creates maps that reveal the processes shaping the surfaces of different planetary bodies. This comparative approach helps deepen our understanding of both planetary evolution and Earth’s geological history. Currently Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, Geology, Physics and Inorganic Chemistry at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, López was recently selected by ESA and NASA to study and advise on future strategies for exploring Venus.
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