Edgar Martins the Rehearsal of Space

This book offers a striking look at the latest project from Portuguese photographer Edgar Martins, a comprehensive visual survey of the European Space Agency. Critically acclaimed Portuguese photographer Edgar Martins' latest project has its roots in early 2012, when he approached the European Space Agency with a very ambitious proposal: to produce the most comprehensive survey ever assembled about a leading scientific and space exploration organization. It is the first time in the ESA's history that they have granted an artist exclusive access to all of their facilities, staff, programs, and technology - located in more than 15 separate facilities, located across the world: from Holland, France, Germany, Spain, to Russia, Kazakhstan, and French Guiana. The Rehearsal of Space looks to critically engage with the ESA's programs, such as the microgravity, the lunar and Mars exploration programs, among many others, whilst also reflecting on the new politics of space exploration and the subsequent erosion of the utopian 1960s frameworks for space usage, as well as the impact of this kind of technological application on our social consciousness.