Astro_portrait

Visual theatre KOSMOS THEATRE presents an interactive art-and-technology installation that connects the visitor’s image, Lithuanian achievements in space science, and life beyond our planet. Lithuanians were the first in the world to complete a full plant life cycle in space conditions — growing thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) from seed to seed. That achievement remains significant today as a basis for astrobotany research and for developing the possibility of human settlement on the Moon and Mars.

In this hypermedia work, plants move into the microgravity of space. Roots, which on our planet normally stay hidden underground, grow upwards here because the physical conditions of gravity have changed, and they become the main visual element. They take shape from some of the elements most essential to life — small particles of light resembling a root network, which, like the movement of ants, become an algorithmic data stream constantly observing the surroundings. This interactive system watches the visitor and continually attempts to compose an individual Astro_portrait. Like a curator of life in space, the work encourages us to take responsibility for life beyond the limits of our planet and invites us to develop the means and technologies for it to continue.