Outer Space Transmitter
An artistic contribution to the REGIOPARL-project
Art and Science
REGIOPARL is a participatory research project. Besides the exchange between academia and politics, REGIOPARL attaches great importance to the dialogue about Europe with citizens.
In this spirit, REGIOPARL published a call for artistic contributions for the public space. As the winning project, the Outer Space Transmitter will accompany REGIOPARL throughout Europe’s regions, beginning in November 2020.
REGIOPARL’s research on regional parliaments in the EU is thus complemented by an artistic approach on debating Europe with citizens. Furthermore, the project aims at making an innovative contribution to the current debate on the future of Europe.
The artist Mona Schulzek designed the Outer Space Transmitter in the framework of her collaboration with the research project REGIOPARL. The realisation and financing of this contribution is carried out in cooperation with Forum Morgen.
Mona Schulzek
Mona Schulzek (*1992) is a visual artist. She studies at the art academy of Düsseldorf in the class of Gregor Schneider and Peter Piller. In 2019, she received the Max Ernst scholarship for her artistic work, which was accompanied by a solo exhibition in the Max Ernst Museum. She also received the 1st Prize of the Vonovia Awards for her photographic work “Ottomane”, which is presented in numerous private collections and museums.
Schulzek is going to take her exam to become an amateur radio operator in the spring of 2021 as part of her artistic research in the field of “electromagnetic art”.
Outer Space Transmitter
The Outer Space Transmitter is an apparatus able to send messages into space to extraterrestrial forms of life. It is presented in public places and invites people to approach Europe and life in the European Union from a personal perspective.
The Outer Space Transmitter travels through different regions in Europe, asking the question:
What does it mean to be a citizen of the European Union?
Passersby can enter their individual answers, using the installation’s terminal on site in their region. From each text message an art image is created and sent into space via the antenna of the apparatus. From there, the visual messages start their journey through the universe – maybe to be found one day as artefacts of our time.
All messages are published in a constantly growing digital archive on the project website www.outerspacetransmitter.art, to capture and portray the various perspectives of citizens in the different European regions.
Departures
The Outer Space Transmitter starts its journey in the German-speaking area of the EU and moves on to different regions throughout Europe, which also are research objects of REGIOPARL. Both, the urban and rural area are supposed to be represented with the selected locations.
On selected dates messages can be entered on the project website, which are then sent into space as radio wave signals.
12 | 11 | 2020
06.+07. | 05 | 2021
Digital Event University of Tübingen
06.+07. | 05 | 2021
Summer 2021
to be announced
What’s new?
First digital event 2021 in Tübingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg
The first broadcasting event of the Outer Space Transmitter will take place in the framework of the international conference
“From Takers to Shapers? Challenges for Regions in a Dynamic EU Polity”
on 06. and 07. Mai 2021
The conference is organized by Prof. Dr. Gabriele Abels (Institute of Political Science) at the University of Tübingen in cooperation with REGIOPARL and the Arbeitskreis Europäische Integration (AEI). The event combines different formats to address various audiences: There is the international, academic conference and lecture, a digital workshop for teachers as well as a panel discussion for the public.
During this conference all participants have the possibility to be part of the digital and artistic experience by sending their individual messages about Europe into space.
In addition there will be on Thursday, the 6th of May 2021 from 4.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. a short presentation of the art project and a Q&A-session with the artist.
You can find more information about the conference and its different formats here.
Past Events
Digital Kick-Off on 12th of November 2020
What does it mean to be a citizen of the European Union? On the 12th of November, REGIOPARL invited a well-versed panel to discuss this question from the different perspectives of science, politics and art. The digital event took place in the framework of the official launch of the art project Outer Space Transmitter by Mona Schulzek.
Prof. Dr. Ireneusz Paweł Karolewski, University of Leipzig, moderated the discussion on the interplay between region, nation and Europe between Secretary of State Mathias Weilandt, State Ministry of Saxony for Justice and Democracy, Europe and Equality, Prof. Ulrike Guérot, Danube University Krems, Prof. Gabriele Abels, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen and Franciska Zólyom, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig.
Here you can find the full press release (in German) about the event.
