Orbit Weaver
→Orbit Weaver Series
→Prologue: A Falling Tooth (solo), Museum of Arts and Design, 2020
→Chengdu Biennale: Time Gravity, 2023
Mixed Media Sculpture
90 mins discontinuous performance in zero gravity
Gravity anchors all existence on Earth. It pulls a chaotic world to one single point in every moment of life. Even though gravity is everywhere and unending, for most of the universe, vast empty space dominates, leaving us free from gravity’s tether. Is the weightless state a moment of true autonomy or does the ungrounded body simply lose control?
In June 1965, NASA astronaut Ed White stepped out of his space capsule and walked in space for the first time. Out in the vastness, he was tethered to the space station, as if a child attached to the mother through the umbilical cord. In this weightless state, the Earth body loses its prior.
If we take a glance at the universe, it is inevitable that we question the possibilities and seek alternatives.It is time to expect an interplanetary body, a body free from the grasps of gravity.
Inspired by the three-dimensional mobility of arachnids, Orbit Weaver uses a hand-held device to regain control of her body and move freely through a weightless space. The device shoot the string out with a magnet on the tip. Once the magnet is attached to the surrounding surfaces, the device will rewind and drag the wearer with minimal impetus due to the zero-gravity environment. With the apparatus, the wearer will be transformed into a “spider woman”, weaving her web in space.
The first performance of Orbit Weaver was on November 17th, 2017 in the parabolic flight operated by Zero-G Corp. During each zero-gravity period(~20 seconds), Orbit Weaver performed the shooting and winding of strings and drag her body forward.
2017
2’10’’
Digital Video
2017
Nylon, 3M Reflective Fabric
2017
Aluminum, 3D prints from Formlab, magnet, Nylon string, Motors and Electronics
OW-BODY is the hand-held devicedevice which integrates functions of shooting, and winding a string to drag its wearer through space. Once the end of the string is attached to a stable surface, the wearer can drag themselves and navigate spatially with minimal impetus due to the zero-gravity environment.
2017
42’’ x 29’’
Digital Photography on Archival Inkjet Print
Apart from moving around on their webs, Spiders use this "ballooning" technique to move through the air by releasing one or more gossamer threads to catch the wind, causing them to become airborne at the mercy of air currents, and more importantly, electric currents. The spider climbs to a high point and takes a stance with its abdomen to the sky, releasing fine silk threads from its spinneret until it becomes aloft. Journeys achieved vary from a few metres to hundreds of kilometres.
Zero Gravity Performance
The first performance of Orbit Weaver was on November 17th, 2017 in the parabolic flight operated by Zero-G Corp. During each zero-gravity period(~20 seconds), Orbit Weaver performed the shooting and winding of strings and drag her body forward. This performance is part of the inaugural parabolic flight launch initiated and supported by Space Exploration Initiative, MIT Media Lab.
From the article Rhapsody in Zero G :
"I care a lot about personal and artistic interests, and how they connect to technology and scientific innovation,” Xin explained. “Why do we go to space? We have a dream, and the technological challenges are what we overcome to achieve that dream. I want to be able to move freely in 3D space, so I design the technologies that allow me to do that.”
Credits
Orbit Weaver Suit is designed by Andrea Lauer.
Special Thanks to:
MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative
Brian Mayton
Gershon Dublon
Hosea Siu
Orbit Weaver Suit is designed by Andrea Lauer.
Special Thanks to:
MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative
Brian Mayton
Gershon Dublon
Hosea Siu