Pavilion of Lithuania at La Biennale di Venezia. Planet of People by Lithuanian Space Agency

Description of project by Lithuanian Space Agency (LSA)

The Lithuanian Space Agency (LSA) is thrilled to present the Pavilion of Lithuania at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. In the unique setting of the Renaissance church Santa Maria dei Derelitti, the LSA proposes a fictional outer space world that brings together gravitational aesthetics and cosmic imagination. The LSA’s exhibition in Venice is curated by Jan Boelen, commissioned by Julija Reklaitė and organised by Rupert, Centre for Art and Education, presented by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.

The LSA, founded by Julijonas Urbonas, is an organisation that researches space architecture and gravitational aesthetics. The agency is an astrodisciplinary initiative that aims to create a truly extraterrestrial imagination. A think-tank-cum-space-logistics-company, the LSA is researching and developing the poetic logistics of establishing alternative ways of being and imagining together both on and beyond Earth. Acknowledging the cosmos as the site of radical other-worldliness, the agency focuses on how we can get closer to the unearthly while also shifting perspectives on humanity to those of an alien.

"The current crisis is a crisis of imagination. The LSA presents prototypes that let us choreograph and dream together. The most ambitious prototype is a machine for an escape from Earth that catapults us into space where we merge into an alternative planet. With this presentation, designed as a Gesamtkunstwerk, the LSA introduces a new possible space age. A space age that gives power back to the people, shifting it away from the national and commercial colonisation of space".

Boelen.

For the Biennale Architettura 2021, the LSA presents Urbonas’ most recent project, Planet of People –– an artistic and scientific study into a hypothetical artificial planet made up of human bodies. The agency explores what it would actually take to realise the architectural fiction of Planet of People and raises questions about its sociopolitical implications. When humans are liberated from the constraints of Earth and simply become the building blocks of this new extra-terrestrial structure, what is the role of our earthly cultural and ethical notions? At the centre of the installation of Planet of People is a 3D scanner that scans the participants of the experiment and ‘sends’ them into space as animated simulations. As more and more people participate over the course of the trial run in Venice, the scanned bodies begin to form a new planet.

"Increasingly, we become aware of the fragility of Earth and the human species. More and more, we realise that we might not have an appropriate survival plan when the doomsday comes. What are the alternatives? There are two options: a planetary-scale funeral or a monument for the history of Earth and its inhabitants. It is time to consider both". 

Urbonas.

"Imagination is inseparable from reality and vice versa. They neither contradict each other, nor do they exclude one another. The same goes for architecture. It is as imaginative as it is realistic. Scientific and architectural speculations are informed by social and technological constructs as much as they themselves inform those constructs. So, on this level, Planet of People is as real as the Eiffel Tower. The only difference between them is that one is yet to be built".

The LSA includes a number of other Urbonas’ works or ‘prototypes’, such as Airtime, Barany Chair, Cerebral Spinner, Cumspin, Emancipation Kit, Euthanasia Coaster, Hypergravitational Piano, Oneiric Hotel. These socalled prototypes are based on Urbonas’ research into gravitational aesthetics, a name he has given to a genre of architecture, design and art. Gravitational aesthetics is concerned with the choreographing and locomotive power of things, both real and imaginary, and the effects these choreographies have on the sensual, psychological and social domains. Consider, for example, Cumspin, which uses artificial gravity to enhance human sexual pleasure, or Euthanasia Coaster, a roller coaster that ends in euphoric death. These works and research have formed the basis of the main installation, Planet of People.

The LSA is also pleased to announce the release of their first annual report, which will be available for purchase at the exhibition and on the agency’s website. The report includes several texts on gravitational aesthetics by Urbonas and contributions from other members of the LSA. The major part of the report is dedicated to an in-depth presentation of Planet of People with feasibility studies conducted by a number of researchers from different fields of planetary science, such as space architecture, design, art and engineering, astroanthropology, astronomy and astrophysics. Among these contributors are Michael Clormann, Régine Debatty, Vidas Dobrovolskas, Hu Fei and Jia Liu, Li Geng, Theodore W. Hall, Craig Jones, Rebekka Ladewig, Xin Liu, Lisa Messeri, Michael P. Oman-Reagan, Joseph Popper, Lauren Reid, He Renke, Fred Scharmen, Ma Yansong and Zheng Yongchun.

During the exhibition in Venice, the LSA will deepen its research into space architecture and introduce it to the public through guided tours and workshops led by Urbonas and Boelen. In partnership with other international institutions, the LSA will also continue developing their programme and testing Planet of People after the Biennale Architettura 2021.

Selected works by Julijonas Urbonas

- The Barany Chair (198? – 2014)

The Barany Chair (named after the Hungarian physiologist Robert Barany) is a device used for aerospace physiological training. One of the key functions of the device is to demonstrate spatial disorientation effects, proving that the vestibular system is not to be trusted in flight. Pilots are taught to rely on their flight instruments instead. It is also used as one of the most effective devices for motion sickness therapy. In 2014, Urbonas restored a USSR built Barany chair and has been using it as a sort of epistemological engine through which he has communicated his findings in gravitational aesthetics.

- Airtime (2016)

Airtime is a kinetic platform placed over a floor designed to deprive an architectural space of gravity. Supported by a custom-built hydraulic lift, it moves slowly upwards by one foot and then falls abruptly downwards. The sudden fall suspends everybody in the air for the blink of an eye, creating a sensation of weightlessness. In the technical vocabulary of amusement ride design, the term ‘airtime’ refers to the feeling of weightlessness experienced on a roller coaster or other amusement ride. This effect is achieved by harnessing either upward acceleration or free-fall. Airtime is based on the latter method.

- Oneiric Hotel (2013)

Oneiric Hotel is an artistic re-enactment of scientific sleep experiments that induced gravitational dreams, during which one could fly, levitate and perform other gravitational activities. The most successful dream-inducing technologies and techniques were selected from sleep labs and transposed as bespoke experiences in the context of a pop-up hotel, ready to be installed in any space. Once put up, the public is invited to take a sleepover or a nap, participating in the dream experiments in their own way.

- Cerebral Spinner (2020 - under development)

Cerebral Spinner is a high g-force lecture theatre. The machine is a circular structure containing a spinning lecture hall that can accommodate a group of people around its spinning centre. It was conceived to study the effects of heightened gravity upon teaching, learning, thinking and daydreaming. In motion, the spinner is capable of ‘pinning’ thirty people to its circular wall due to the centripetal force. The modular wall consists of an array of curvilinear elements, shaped in such a way that once at full speed with the force of 3 g (three times higher than that of Earth’s gravity), the riders’ bodies leave the floor, slide upwards and then suspend in midair.

- Euthanasia Coaster (2010)

Euthanasia Coaster is a hypothetic roller coaster, engineered to take the life of a human being with elegance and euphoria. As the rider moves through the seven loops of the coaster, they are subjected to a series of intensive motions that induce an arc of unique experiences: from euphoria to thrill, from tunnel vision to loss of consciousness and eventually death. This is due to prolonged exposure to overwhelming gravitational forces that cause cerebral hypoxia or the insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain that is widely considered as the most pleasant way to die.

- Cumspin (2015)

Cumspin is a hypothetical centrifuge based on an amusement ride and is designed to heighten the experience of sexual intercourse. Its core principle is centripetal acceleration, which exposes the riders to variable artificial gravitational forces. This extreme environment provides the users with extraterrestrial sex positions and pushes the peaks of pleasure to a new dimension.

- Emetic Spatula (from Emancipation Kit) (2009)

Emetic Spatula is an ergonomic vomit-inducing tool. The titanium stick is medically engineered to easily and comfortably stimulate the constrictor muscle that can provoke vomiting. This muscle is located deep in the throat behind the dangling bit of tissue called the uvula, which is difficult to reach with a bare finger. The tool is used by placing the tip of the stick into the throat and gently moving it around to create a tickling experience. The hydrodynamic design of the tool guarantees the eviction of contents of your stomach in a controlled and elegant manner. The object celebrates the human victory against gravity, which comes at the cost of airsickness.

- Hypergravitational Piano (2018)

Hypergravitational Piano is a hybrid centrifuge that includes a grand piano and a piano player. The machine was developed to study the effects of altered gravity on the player, the instrument, the sound and the music. Capable of producing 3 g, the centrifuge becomes a hypergravitational sound-stage. In addition to this, the centrifugal force of spinning produces unique gravitational fields that vary at different points in relation to both the player and the piano. The force increases further away from the spin axis. Such circumstances provide unique physical and mental conditions that give birth to what can be called an extraterrestrial sound. The Lithuanian composer Gailė Griciūte composed a piano piece especially for whenever Hypergravitational Piano is displayed.

The LSA’s exhibition in Venice is curated by Jan Boelen, commissioned by Julija Reklaitė and organised by Rupert, Centre for Art and Education, and presented by the Lithuanian Council for Culture. Strategic partner: X Museum (Beijing). Partners: Baltisches Haus, Collective (Edinburgh), ECODENTA, Gallery Vartai (Vilnius), Gioielli Nascosti di Venezia, Girteka Logistics, National Gallery of Art (Vilnius), Plasta, Science Gallery (Dublin). Collaborators: Formuniform, Kosmica Institute, Lithuanian Aerospace Association, Lithuanian Culture Institute, Six Chairs Books, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Vilnius City Municipality, Vilnius Tech, Faculty of Architecture, Vilnius University.

Q&A with Julijonas Urbonas

– What was the motivation behind establishing such an organisation and what are its aims?

– The Lithuanian Space Agency was established in 2019, in reaction to an apparent lack of space culture in the country. I’ve been researching gravitational aesthetics for more than a decade now in collaboration with hard science experts. As it turns out, Lithuanian space culture has not been explored before, almost as if it was losing its gravity at the Kármán line where the Earth’s atmosphere ends. It is rather unfortunate because Lithuania has a unique history of space research.

Successful institutions that are currently operating, such as the Lithuanian Aerospace Association Lithuanian Space Association or the Lithuanian Space Office, focus more on expanding science and business sectors. Due to this, space is perceived as a new economic field. It is not in their interest to discuss culture and arts in space. Having evaluated these circumstances, I felt there was a need to fill this niche and initiate a public discussion.

– What is the connotation of ‘space’ in the organisation’s name?

– In English, the word space designates both the spatial dimension and outer space but in Lithuanian, cosmos is not only above our heads but also inside of them. In naming the organisation the Lithuanian Space Agency, I consciously avoided the term cosmos because this way certain restrictions are lifted, allowing one to talk about space as a dimension that can be perceived as cosmos, architecture, territory, etc. In a sense, the agency is free from the cosmic context as well because I believe that in the future, there won’t be any distinctions between Earth phenomena and space phenomena — Earth is part of the cosmos. This active distinction may be contributing to a crisis of imagination.

– How important is the national aspect in terms of the agency’s activities?

– When we think about specific aspects of culture such as cosmic identity, we often restrict ourselves to economic and technological terminology. Even more often, we copy countries like the USA or Russia; we look up to their programmes and achievements as if we don’t have our own unique and independent imagination. Generally speaking, the dominant cosmic imagination is rather limited, having been formed in the first Space Age during the Cold War. The two superpowers were competing with each other: who will touch the cosmic body first, who will fly the farthest, etc. However, in the last decade, we saw the emergence of new national space programs and discussions around space economics — all these processes contribute to the manifestation of the New Space Age. An increasing number of disciplines make use of the astro- prefix and rethink their theoretical framework through the perspective of space.

The Lithuanian Space Agency’s work isn’t focused on the visibility of a particular country in space but rather on spreading the idea about the openness of space to various people, experts and disciplines. On the other hand, any activity in space automatically becomes part of international space culture. Cultural, social or biological attributes such as nationality, race, sex, sexual orientation, age, social status or political views dissolve whilst suspended in space, detached from systems of judgement and classification prevailing on Earth.

– How would you describe the Lithuanian Space Agency’s practices and what can be expected in the future?

– The agency is like a bureaucratic stage set that helps make my ideas about space more believable. When ideas are institutionalised, their effectiveness and persuasion increase in the very same way that the use of metaphor in literature (or fiction) enables the imagination. You could say that the founding of this organisation is an exercise for imagination that takes into consideration the realistic possibilities and influences of such an agency.

It is possible to see it as a cosmic logistics company operating an imaginary means of transport — poetic rockets that can shift one into both physical and fictional space. This could be considered one of the intended results, although the agency does not aim to create physically tangible objects. The agency’s work is oriented towards exercising the cosmic imagination and curating poetic and critical projects about the extraterrestrial culture. It is like an ideas lab, which aims to involve the knowledge and imagination of as many representatives from different astro-disciplines as possible.

The outcome of the Lithuanian Space Agency’s project will be shown at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. We’re working together with an international team on a programme called Planet of People.

– Could you tell more about the Planet of People programme? What is it about and what issues does it address?

– It is the first time that with this programme I have moved away from it being only a personal but an institutional affair. The project revolves around the idea of sending humans to L2, one of the Lagrangian points in space where gravity is absent, and allows the frozen bodies float freely until their weak gravities make them assemble into a blob. Within a certain period of time, these floating bodies clump together and start shaping a planet due to this biomass's cumulative gravity. 

At present, we examine the possible consequences of such a project and the resources, knowledge and competence needed to realise it. Three aspects come into play so far: aesthetic, ethical and political. On an aesthetic level, the questions of cosmic culture and imagination are being raised. Meanwhile, on the ethical level, we are preoccupied with space colonialism and astrobiology, as well as discussing space pollution. In terms of politics, questions are being raised about already existing space programs, the policies governing the activities of the exploration and use of outer space.

At the same time, this program (as well as the agency’s future work) is related to exploring new forms of science fiction. I am interested in liberating science fiction from conventional means of expression — literature, films or video games — and (in)fusing it into other fields such as dance, sociology, engineering, culinary, medicine, etc. I wonder how astrophysical fiction, dance fiction or medicinal fiction would look like.

– While investigating if the idea of a planet made of people could be implemented, you were collaborating with scientists and thinkers from many different fields and countries. What did you manage to find out and what were their arguments for and against this project?

– There were two contrasting views. Some claim that it is practically impossible to achieve because it requires immense precision regarding timing, placement of the bodies and other circumstances. Others state that even before a catapulted human being would reach any of the Lagrange points, they would turn into cosmic dust. They also emphasis the logistic challenges: for a planet of people to form, not only a trillion years must pass but also a vast amount of fuel is required to launch this many people into space. This would have irreversible consequences for Earth’s resources and economy.

However, a group of human scientists think that the project can trigger a discussion about alternative survival models and space colonisation problems. Others are concerned about the dangerous eschatological side of the project that would contribute to rehearsing future scenarios without an implied end of all, proposing the possibility of a totally different human existence instead. Finally, several interesting phenomena come into view such as cosmic pessimism, which emphasises the general indifference of space towards us and the insignificance of human life on the universal scale.

– The Lithuanian Space Agency will represent Lithuania at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice this year. How is this project related to architecture?

– This project is a crossover between speculative design and architecture. Here, architecture is not physically tangible but imagined instead. By considering architecture on a planetary scale, for instance, terraforming, we’re able to view earthly architecture differently.

This unique critical perspective defines architecture as a very earthbound discipline, with gravity as its main problem. That is why when somebody imagines suspended foundations and levitating buildings, very often the rest of the constructs stay earthbound or stuck to Earth.

This is why it is important to push architecture into more radical circumstances and consider the inversion of Vitruvius’ conceptual architecture. In other words: what would happen if architecturally humans gave up their long-held central position in favour of becoming a raw material? To become a building block for a new planet would allow us to not only talk about a particular formation of cosmic architecture but also about a specific monument to the human species. What if this reflects the human desire to put themselves into a central spot?

– Does it mean that this project is focused on humanity rather than space?

– It is about space being within us and not out there.

– What question does the LSA raise in response to the question of how can we live together?

– The main topic of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia How Will We Live Together? reflects in the project Planet of People in a variety of ways. Firstly, with Planet of People, the agency pushes the architectural imagination to its extremes and explores what it would actually take to realise this hypothetical artificial planet made up of human bodies. How many people do we need to form a sustainable architectural unit that we have never built before? How does that correspond to the notion of colonisation of other planets that already exist? Would this planet be considered as a space debris?

The project also raises questions about its potential sociopolitical implications. When humans are liberated from the constraints of Earth and simply become the building blocks of this new extra-terrestrial structure, what is the role of our earthly cultural and ethical notions? I would like to invite you to imagine and consider what would happen if we moved a huge number of people to radically different circumstances; if we strip them of all social, racial, cultural, sexual, political and economic constructs, and bring them together so that they stay in close proximity for a substantial amount of time. That would be the ultimate revision of human architecture. Planet of People is a kind of platform for the extraterrestrial imagination that allows to look at oneself from an alien perspective. Perhaps this angle could empower citizens to live and work together, regardless of any sociopolitical differences.