Martin Sjardijn, Painter, sculptor, digital and conceptual artist. I was born in The Hague, The Netherlands, studied Fine Arts at the Royal Academy of Art and for some years Cultural Sciences and Philosophy. After painting for many years, I started the Weightless Sculpture Project. I proposed the first conceptual artwork in 1985: a line in outer space as an extension of the man-made satellite. The accompanying statement read: A Line in Outer Space - Visible from earth - with the naked eye - At clear nights.

How to realize such a recognizable line from earth? I would use a highly reflective grit, to be launched into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 200-400 kilometers. The grit is then spread out, over 100 meters long and 1 meters wide. A line will be visible with the naked eye at clear nights during 15 minute intervals at every point on earth. The line will burn down in the atmosphere after 3 months.

Christo was the first artist who reacted positively. Swiss curator Harald Szeeman also emphasized the art-value of this concept. In 1986 I animated an object in weightless rotation with the Omniversum Digistar Planetarium Computer in The Hague. It was exhibited with my first weightless concepts in the Municipal Museum of The Hague.

In 1990 I began to work with the internet and virtual reality at the Technical University in Delft. Since 1998, I develop an art and educational project using interactive 3D technology in commission of the Groninger Museum.

One of my concepts is called ArtSpaceLab, a proposal for an art project inside the International Space Station. My latest project is the cubesat, containing the first weightless sculpture printed with a 3D printer.

Videoproduction Edo van Santen / Talk&Do.TV
http://www.talkedo.tv

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