The Project
In 2013 or later, mur.at will have a pico satellite launched into a low earth orbit (310 km above the surface of our planet). The satellite itself is a TubeSat personal satellite kit, developed and launched by interorbital systems. mur.sat is a joint venture of mur.at, ESC im Labor and realraum.
A team of about 30 people around mur.at (Graz/Austria) builds
its first picosatellite called mursat1, based on the knowledge of
Interorbital Systems, IOS, and developped further following our
research requests. In 2013 or later, mursat1 will be sent into space.
We expand Public Space - noncommercial, noninstitutional,
experimental, researching and exploring - to see, hear, test, send,
receive, and perform.
“In an age when state agencies are sending robotic explorers into
space, (...) artists should launch robotic artists.” GX
Jupitter-Larsen, 2011
In the timespan of one century, the space outside earth has been
integrated smoothly and without friction into economic utilization
processes. In order to counterbalance economical procedures that have
been employed in the exploration and investigation of space, we
vindicate the right to explore and investigate for ourselves. We claim
"the" space as "public" space, in which other projections, wishes,
concerns, desires, purposes and undertakings of different matter have
authority and entitlement. With the move out into space, mur.sat takes
the opportunity to analyse earth from outside. With the development of
TubeSat, it has become relatively easy and affordable to send out our
own research device. Adding some technical know how, we are able to
define a set of tasks that mur.sat should fulfill during his short
life time.
In some ways, this current situation now is comparable with the
1980ies, beginning of 1990ies, when artists experimented with
connected computers, what is now mostly known as
world-wide-web/internet. The excitement is found in exploring new
spaces, and getting to know and understand them. Probably one of the
main attractions lies in the fact, that in unknown spaces one can
formulate new hypothesis and try to find out and explore by one's own
wish and curiosity. The strength and empowerment that lies in this
possibility, is the subjective approach of individuals - noone can say
beforehand if a certain question is relevant. It is also very likely
that new questions will come up due to intense work on the matter
during the work itself.
mursat1 itself will become our performer, taking selfportraits with a camera, transmitting data about his position relative to earth by torquers, receiving and translating particle detection and collision with a piezo microphone, sending compressed audiodata for radio transmission on earth, hosting children's wishes to become a shooting star themselves, counting its beacon send out and thereby knowing about itself.
On earth, in the space center in Graz, and optionally on all other
sorts of locations, available data will be received and interpreted,
in sound, light, temperature installations, to create his sensation of
NOW, of present time, and of connectedness to this expansion and
extension that surrounds us.
Why should only economically potent entities like states or companies
be entitled to develop the imagery and broadcast (and thereby define)
the ways of perception of the outer world, and of the representations
of earth and the universe?
mur.sat is a cooperation between the Graz-based organisations
mur.at, realraum and ESC im LABOR.
The Team: Christian Pointner, Bernhard Tittelbach, Patrick Strasser,
Reni Hofmüller, Jogi Hofmüller, Alien Productions (Andrea Sodomka,
Norbert Math, Martin Breindl), Takashi Linzbichler, Eva Stern, Erik
Unger, Richie Herbst, Heimo Ranzenbacher, Christoph
Holas, Ernesto Rico-Schmidt, Peter Venus.
This website is the main entry point for communication. Visit the section called Events for an overview of upcoming and past events. Have a look at the Gallery section, where we collect images of our activities. Our Press section lists various articles on mur.sat, that were published during the course of this project.
The two links Wiki and Blog take you away from this site to other communication tools. Have a look!
