VIRGIN GALACTIC/SPACEPORT AMERICA/FOSTER + PARTNERS / 2006-2012

In 2005, Virgin Galactic and the State of New Mexico announced that they had reached an historic agreement which would see the building of a state funded $200m spaceport on a 27 square mile area of land in the southern part of the New Mexico "the Land of Enchantment".

Virgin Galactic will establish its headquarters and operate its space flights from Spaceport America, the world's first purpose built commercial spaceport which is now under construction. Spaceport America will provide cutting edge facilities and a wonderful location for fledgling astronauts to realise their dreams. Construction is now well under way and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) recently dedicated the newly completed nearly two-mile long "Governor Bill Richardson Spaceway" at Spaceport America, representing significant progress towards launching commercial customers into space from the desert of New Mexico.

The facility has been designed by world renowned, UK based Foster + Partners who won an international competition to build the first private spaceport in the world.  The Spaceport lies low within the desert-like landscape of the site in New Mexico and seen from the historic El Camino Real trail, the organic form of the terminal resembles a rise in the landscape. Using local materials and regional construction techniques, it is both sustainable and sensitive to its surroundings.

PLANET DLR  _ ANIMATIC [Edit 01]

PLANET DLR  _ REVISED

In this revised Planet DLR collage, I attempt to depict the notion of the DLR as a adventure theme park.  I am currently working on the video tableau of this piece, and should be able to upload later today.

PLANET DLR [REVISED]  _ INSPIRATIONS

Down below are the works of two artists/ flimmakers I have found of great inspiration and influence  in developing my short 'Planet DLR' animatic this week.  I will post the revised animatic later tomorrow.

Marco Brambilla-Kanye West's Power Video, 2010

Director Marco Brambilla depicts the concept of Power in the form of a video tableau (a moving painting that slowly reveals itself to the viewer with a continuous camera movement)

Je Baak-The Structure Of, 2010

Je Baak explores two artificially generated extreme emotions - Fear & Pleasure - through a collage of different thrill rides.  They look beautiful and scary, enjoyable and painful at the same time.

PLANET DLR _ SPACE-TIME ANALYSIS

A
 space 
exists
 when
 one 
takes 
into 
consideration 
vectors 
of 
direction,
 velocities,
and 
time
 variables.
  Thus 
space 
is
 composed 
of 
intersections of
 mobile 
elements.  
It
 is
 in 
a
 sense 
actuated 
by 
the 
ensemble 
of movements
 deployed
 within 
it.  _ Michel
 De
Certeau, 
The
 Practice 
Of
 Everyday
 Life


The task for this week has been to make
 a 
space‐time
 analysis 
of 
our
 visit on the DLR (Docklands Light Rail) ,identifying 

interests
 both 
thematically 
and
 representationally.

The piece I've titled Planet DLR is my interpretation of that.  It is an assemblage of footage and images I recorded and artefacts collected in relation to the DLR over the years, I felt best represented and expressed the journey one takes on the DLR. As the DLR is an automated service and doesn’t have a driver, one can sit in the first row of the first carriage and experience a journey resemblant to that of a roller coaster, however, without the dips, fast turns, high speed, but a thrill all the same.  This is what my piece attempts to evoke.

STAR GUITAR CHRONOGRAM:  [Descriptive text soon to follow]