A SCOTTISH artist is set to feature in a project in which his art will be “sent to the moon”.
Lewis Deeney, originally from Dumbarton, is to be part of the Lunar Codex project in which his work will be digitally archived and sent into space.
Speaking to The National, the 30-year-old explained the opportunity comes following an exhibition he was involved with in the United States this year.
“It took place at a venue called 33 Contemporary in Florida as part of the Geometric Abstraction exhibition,” he explained.
The exhibition will be included in the Codex Polaris, scheduled to launch to the Lunar southern hemisphere in September 2025 aboard the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket.
The catalogue, featuring work from 35,000 contemporary artists from across the globe, will be digitally archived and sent to the moon.
The mission of the Lunar Codex is to archive contemporary art, literature, music and film on the moon, to create a cultural time capsule of humanity’s creative legacy.
But Deeney (above) has one key thing on his mind he’s hoping to achieve.
“Personally, I would love aliens to find it,” he says, laughing.
“That really excites me. Just imagine aliens thousands of years from now travelling across the universe and wondering what it’s all about.
“They would find my patent along with 30,000 other people’s artwork.”
The project is part of Nasa's Artemis Program with works sent through a series of missions that will deposit digital archives on the lunar surface.
New exhibition
Deeney was speaking to The National ahead of his latest exhibition – Step Into Abstraction – taking place at Glasgow's Saltspace Cooperative Gallery on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8.
He explained: “It’s an immersive art exhibition. So it’s a series of paintings on the walls but then I’ll be adding in different reflective surfaces like mirrors and using projectors to create a digital video of paintings merging into one another and projecting this onto the painting.
“The idea is that it feels like you’re stepping inside my painting. The projectors will be projecting onto you and the paintings so there will be an element of movement going through the exhibition.
“It really helps to make the space come alive.”
Deeney hopes that the idea of interactivity will help encourage people to come along as it offers something that little bit different.
“It’s my first time doing an exhibition like this,” he says.
“Video art has been around for a few decades but movement was uncommon and we can bring that to life through digital media.”
The artist was also pleased to hear the announcement from the Scottish Government that a further £34 million would be made available for the culture sector.
Finance Secretary Shona Robison confirmed the news during her Budget announcement on Wednesday, having faced calls from Scottish Labour to increase the funding available for the industry.
Although Deeney admitted there is still a long way to go in terms of seeing how the money is spent, he feels it was the right move.
He said: “It’s always good when there’s more funding. I’m very sceptical of how the Government manages its money so I don’t know the details but it is hopeful and a step in the right direction.”
Click HERE to find out more information on Deeney’s upcoming exhibition.
