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Tom Sachs – Space Program: Mars
June 5, 2012


NEW YORK—Whimsical, artistic, yet scientific—Tom Sachs’ show at the Park Avenue Armory has widespread appeal and completely diverges from the average art exhibition. He exploits the Park Avenue Armory to its full potential by simulating a space expedition to Mars. Although this is a large installation, the mind boggles at the level of detail and the amount of thought put into each element, which becomes clear upon close inspection of the individual pieces in the installation.

Using a variety of junky random objects, Sachs put everything together in a way that appeals to the inner scavenger, builder and scientist in all of us. Some of the most interesting aspects include a “Mobile Quarantine Facility” made out of a 1972 Winnebago and a giant lunar landing module at the center of the space. He clearly thought out the whole process of how a space expedition to Mars would actually include, but injected a bit of fun with the inclusion of sculptures such as the “Tea House.”

The Mission to Mars is both a fascinating sculptural installation, but also a performance piece, with demonstrations of the gear every Thursday. It will culminate in an hours-long Endurance Demonstration on June 16th beginning at noon, where the entire installation will be acted out in real time.

Tom Sachs – Space Program: Mars, in partnership with the Park Avenue Armory and Creative Time, is on view
until June 17th.


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