IMPOSSIBLE OBJECT | Art in Outer Space

▷▷▷ Joint work with Prof. Yasmine Meroz
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, Low Earth Orbit | 2022

Wrote about Impossible Object:

Jerusalem Post [Eng]
Mako [Heb]
Maariv [Heb]
Al-Halal Podcust [Heb]

Impossible Object is one of the few contemporary artworks ever made and sent to Outer Space. The artistic-scientific experimental work was activated onboard the International Space Station (ISS) in microgravity, leading to surprising outcomes.

Impossible Object is a sculpture made of liquid water. The liquid’s three-dimensional form does not get its shape from any vessel and as such cannot exist on Earth, but only in Outer Space in the absence of gravity. The sculpture is made of brass rods and tubes, through which water flows. With no gravitation to direct the water downwards, the water clings to the sculpture’s metal structure, forming a dynamic three-dimensional liquid structure, shaped by the water’s surface tension and adhesion forces. The sculpture resembles a wavy staircase that has no directionality. The work questions shape and form. In the absence of gravitation, what is the shape of a piece of sea or a handful of a wave?
Impossible Object is a research-based artwork, where micro-gravity physics is the medium.

As space tourism becomes tangible and no longer focuses solely on technological and scientific goals, Segal and Meroz reflect on the place of culture and arts in our lives, on Earth and beyond.

Impossible Object was activated and documented on the International Space Station by astronaut Eitan Stibe during mission AX-1, April 2022, as part of Rakia Art Mission. Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) was the first private astronaut mission on the International Space Station (ISS), a collaborative effort between SpaceX (shuttle) on behalf of Axiom Space in cooperation with NASA, in which four crew members conducted science, art, and outreach activities.

Liat Segal - art, science, and technology

Impossible Object, Art in Outer Space, Sculpture on the International Space Station, by Liat Segal and Yasmine Meroz, Art science and technology Liat Segal - art, science, and technology

Impossible Object is the second collaboration between Segal and Prof. Yasmine Meroz, following the art installation Tropism. They documented their art-science partnership in a paper published in Quantitative Plant Biology.

Featured Impossible Object:
▷ Collegium Helveticum, Zurich, as part of the Zurich Art Weekend. Curated by Adrian Notz (ETHZ AI Center)
▷ Irregular Object Pavilion at the14th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea. Curated by Udi Edelson

The work was created as part of Rakia Art Mission (Ramon Foundation) with support from Mifal Hapais, Asylum Arts, European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (GrowBot), and The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Science, Tel Aviv University.

Rakia Art Mission curator: Udi Edelman.
Video by: Naomi Meroz and Assaf Arviv

support logos for Impossible Object, Art in Outer Space, Sculpture on the International Space Station, by Liat Segal and Yasmine Meroz, Art science and technology

the International Space Station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour

The International Space Station pictured from the SpaceX Dragon. Photo: NASA.

Yasmine Meroz and Liat Segal first met during their MSc studies at Tel Aviv University. Their life trajectories diverged since Yasmine pursued an academic career as a researcher while Liat’s path shifted to fine arts. Years later, they were reunited when the Genia Schreiber Tel Aviv University Art Gallery commissioned their first joint artwork, Tropism. The two are advocates for art-science collaborations, believing they are ‘Fairy Dust’ that ignites new ideas in both science and art. Segal and Meroz documented their art-science partnership in a paper published in Quantitative Plant Biology.