To the Moon and Back

BACKGROUND 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Historian Roger Launius (2005) argues that the Apollo program is steeped in myths around conquest, heroism, and American exceptionalism. The research examined how different artistic approaches to processes and conceptions of photography might offer a more complex view of the Moon landing beyond a celebration of national technological and ideological achievement. As a curatorial project, could the layered and complicated relationship humans have with the Moon, including geopolitical, spiritual, and material be consolidated into an exhibition? CONTRIBUTION “To The Moon and Back” examined the lasting impact of the 1969 lunar landing on contemporary culture through the lens of photographic media. Archival images were exhibited with artwork by Andrew Curtis, Vincent Fournier, Sharon Harper, Sasha Huber, Penelope Umbrico, Qicong Lin, Matt Lipps, and Jorge Mañes Rubio within the heritage-listed Ballarat Astronomical Observatory and Museum. The curators employed an anti-hierarchical approach to photographic media. For example, works that centred on user-generated imagery were displayed alongside NASA’s photographs. To reconfigure historical narratives, NASA’s own image archive was used to amplify under-represented narratives. From the collective documentation of the Moon, to the politics of colonisation and naming practices, to utopian visions of inhabiting the Moon — the research examined multifaceted perspectives of our nearest celestial neighbour. SIGNIFICANCE As a ‘Core’ exhibition in the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, the project was highlighted by the festival, which had over 32,000 visitors. Part of the curatorial project included public lectures by US-based artists Penelope Umbrico at the NGV and Matt Lipps at RMIT. The work was featured in The Guardian, ArtsHub, and the Ballarat Courier. The project received a $10,000 grant from the Consulate General of the United States of America.