Leonardo/OLATS Assists in Development of Cultural Policy for the International Space Station

To: Leonardo Network
From: Roger Malina, Annick Bureaud

We are pleased to announce that the ArtsCatalyst Report to the European Space Agency for a Cultural Policy for the International Space Station has been made public.

Leonardo/OLATS was an organisational member of the study team and endorses the recommendations of the report.

A CULTURAL POLICY FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
The Arts Catalyst's Report to the European Space Agency

http://www.artscatalyst.org/projects/space/ISS.html

In 2005, the European Space Agency (ESA) awarded the The Arts Catalyst in London a contract to carry out a study into possible future cultural utilisation of the International Space Station.

The study set out to investigate and focus the interest of the cultural world in the International Space Station, to generate a policy for involving cultural users in the International Space Station programme in the longer term and to develop a representative set of ready-to-implement demonstrator projects in arts, culture and media. Under the lead of the Arts Catalyst (GB), the study team also comprises Association Leonardo- Olats (F) and Delta Utec (NL), with the MIR network.

Study Update - 5 October 2006

The Arts Catalyst submitted its report to the European Space Agency in early 2006. It is still to be approved by ESA, however permission has been given to makes its contents public.

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Leonardo Announcement - May 2005

Leonardo/OLATS Assists in Development of Cultural Policy for the International Space Station

The European Space Agency has awarded a consortium let by the Arts Catalyst and including Leonardo/OLATS, a contract to carry out a 6-month study into possible future cultural utilisation of the International Space Station, in particular the European aspects of the station. Nicola Triscott, Project Manager for the study provides the following information:

The International Space Station - currently in orbit around the Earth - is our only permanent human habitation in space. It is a great achievement of human ingenuity and international cooperation, as well as a cutting edge research facility.

The European Space Agency is interested to open the International Space Station to a new community of artistic and cultural users. This new study sets out to focus and investigate the interest of the cultural world in the International Space Station, to generate a policy for involving cultural users in the International Space Station programme in the longer term, and to develop a representative set of ready-to-implement demonstrator projects in arts, culture and media.

Under the lead of the Arts Catalyst (London, UK), the study team also includes Leonardo-OLATS (Paris, France), Delta Utec (Leiden, Netherlands) and the MIR Network, a group of European arts organisations with interests in space in Slovenia, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, UK and France. Artists and cultural practitioners across Europe are being consulted on the features of the International Space Station and its ground-based support facilities - including launch sites, astronaut training facilities and national user support centres - that would be of interest to them. To get involved or receive further information about this study, please email the study leader, Nicola Triscott: iss@artscatalyst.org

We will send you a 20-page document (1.5 MB) that gives basic information about the International Space Station and its ground-based systems. We will also send you a short questionnaire which might help to focus your thoughts.At this stage, no restriction on the types of utilisation has been set, however it should be noted that it is very unlikely that an artist would have the opportunity themselves to go to the International Space Station, certainly in the foreseeable future.

The European Space Agency press release about the study is at: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/Pr_p_EN.html from where you can also access the German and French translation.

Press enquiries should be directed to:
Miranda Pope: mirandapope@artscatalyst.org

More about Arts Catalyst: http://www.artscatalyst.org

More about the Leonardo Space Arts Working Group: http://www.olats.org