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Land art and the moon landing

Related content from the research presented in this article informed the exhibition Earth-Moon-Earth at the Djanogly Gallery, University of Nottingham from 20 June to 9 August 2009. I first presented this research at a meeting of the AHRC-supported research network, 'Land art and the culture of landscape 1967-1977', at the Slade Research Centre in October 2008. This led to an invitation to develop the exhibition for the Djanogly Gallery, timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing in July 2009. The exhibition focussed on a dialogue between a work made in 1969 that captured the anticipation of the moon landing, A Study of the Relationships Between Inner and Outer Space, by David Lamelas and a recent work, Earth-Moon-Earth (Moonlight Sonata reflected from the surface of the moon), 2007 by artist Katie Paterson. Paterson graduated from the Slade (MFA 2007) and also participated in the 'Land art' network. My essay on Lamelas's work was published in the catalogue accompanying the exhibition. At the opening I gave a public lecture, 'Cosmic Serendipity: an introduction to the exhibition Earth Moon Earth'. Artists' films by Ian Breakwell & Mike Leggett, David Lamelas and John Latham, also discussed in my article, were presented in 'Time and Space' as part of the BFI's 'Lunacy Weekender' in July 2009. This screening, a satellite event of the exhibition, was presented in collaboration with Flat Time House, John Latham's home in Peckham, introduced by myself and with a Q&A with fellow curator Nicholas Alfrey and artist David Lamelas. The exhibition Earth Moon Earth was one of the first outputs of the 'Land art' research network and, together with related events, offered opportunities to present aspects of my research in the context of public events as well as publication in a scholarly journal.