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THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

2014

Transparent case, needle, cellophane strip:
Case 13.3 W x 13.3 L x 14,4 H cm
Needle 12cm
Cellophane strip 5,5 cm x 1,9 cm
Video Projection Field 154,5 x 94 cm , runtime 0:40 minutes

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Presentation in Outer Space by Samantha Cristoforetti

Video runtime 0:40 minutes

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

2014/2015

Transparent case, needle, cellophane strip:
Case 13.3 W x 13.3 L x 14,4 H cm
Needle 12cm
Cellophane strip 5,5 cm x 1,9 cm

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

2014/2015

Transparent case, needle, cellophane strip:
Case 13.3 W x 13.3 L x 14,4 H cm
Needle 12cm
Cellophane strip 5,5 cm x 1,9 cm

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

2014/2015

Transparent case, needle, cellophane strip:
Case 13.3 W x 13.3 L x 14,4 H cm
Needle 12cm
Cellophane strip 5,5 cm x 1,9 cm

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

2014/2015

Cellophane strip 5,5 cm x 1,9 cm

Last visible drawing produced by the isolation process from graphite (HOPG) to the one 1 atom layer drawing of graphene.

Samantha Cristoforetti with the artwork before her Mission launch Futura in 2014

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Wittgenstein gave a famous reading instruction in his book that provides the literary source for the art-project:
“He” (the reader) “must, so to speak, throw away the ladder” (representing Tractatus Logico Philosophicus) “after he has climbed up it.”
The art project converts the philosophical allegory into a real object in outer space.
At the same time, the art-piece could be seen as an icon of the human urge to progress and transcend, presented on a location that stands highly symbolic for the theme.

On November 23th, 2014 the astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti carried the ‘Wittgenstein ladder’ to outer space to let it fly.
It is presented on a strip of cellophane scotch tape, as a microscopic drawing in ladder shape made by the Nobel prize winning isolation process from graphite (HPOG) to single atomic layers of graphene.

Presentation on earth:
1. The last visible ladder of the series of copies of the producing mode is shown transpierced on a beryllium needle in a transparent box. The box is presented on a very thin white platform. Both are mounted on a pole drilled into the ground of the exhibition site.
2. A video of the scotch tape with the one atom layer drawing flying in outer space is streamed to earth on the web.

With special thanks to Samantha Cristoforetti , NASA/ESA, Charles Vacanti and the Center for Nanoscale Systems, Harvard University