Enlarge image
Astronaut on Tom Sachs mission in Hamburg
Photo:
Tom Sachs / Photo: Genevieve Hanson
Almost ready to be ignited - but then only a copy: the sculptor Tom Sachs, 55, recreates NASA programs by hand and sends employees in airtight fake space suits on excursions. The spectacle is broadcast as a live stream from a control center into the network.
Sachs is one of the most sought-after sculptors in the USA, probably because his installations are full of seriousness and humor at the same time. Sachs has been working on his “Space Program” since 2007, showing three missions to the moon, Mars and Jupiter in the USA. Fans from all over the world travel to the exhibitions.
Now Sachs has created one of his spectacular landscapes in Germany for the first time. At the start of the Hamburg exhibition "Space Program: Rare Earths" on September 18, two of Sachs' employees go on a twelve-hour "activation" show according to strict NASA protocol. The theatrical event in the livestream is followed by an immersive exhibition of the Sachs universe. He invites you to sign up for the mission to gain access to exclusive space stations. If you want, you can have your mind cleaned in the plywood MRI or donate the circuit board of your smartphone for an idol. Tom Sachs explained to SPIEGEL what his cosmic program was all about.
SPIEGEL
: Mr. Sachs, why have you been so fascinated by manned space travel for 14 years?
Tom Sachs
: Because I'm American.
We love to expand.
(laughs)
.
No.
We are not going to other worlds because we have ruined our planet and are looking for a new home.
But because our resources are insufficient here.
Every year around 1.5 billion smartphones are to be manufactured, each of which requires 30 milligrams of gold.
So where do we get 45 tons of gold a year from?
In my story, we no longer exploit the African continent, but other planets.
This is imperialism, this is America.
We're going where the hell we want to go.
SPIEGEL
: Sounds inconsiderate.
Sachs
: It is.
But not everything about space travel is bad.
For me, the moon landing was the greatest art project of all time, with no practical goal!
By the way, when NASA was founded in 1958, people were already thinking about the exploitation and contamination of the planets.
There is a protocol in which it is stated that neither earth particles may be brought to other planets, nor may particles be introduced from there to earth.
SPIEGEL
: And do you think Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk will stick to it today?
Sachs
: No.
I think Elon Musk would throw atom bombs on Mars to make it habitable.
SPIEGEL
: What does that tell us about our life on earth?
Sachs
: The way we deal with space is, for me, similar to the imperialism of the Berlin Congo Conference in 1885. At that time, the fate of Africa was sealed in Europe.
The same philosophy is behind space programs.
We discover new worlds and subjugate them, we bring the noise.
In my show, I am anticipating all of this and bringing into space one of the greatest works that mankind has created.
SPIEGEL
: Which one is that?
Sachs
: Japanese tea ceremony.
It's all in one: architecture, philosophy, poetry, performance, cuisine, spirituality.
If I chose a human work to send into space, it wouldn't be a picture of Van Gogh or Jackson Pollock.
But the tea ceremony.
SPIEGEL
: But it's also about high-tech, the NASA logo is emblazoned everywhere - at the same time you maintain the hobbyist look.
Aren't you striving for perfection?
Sachs
: Yes, just different.
I used to try sculpting to create things that were as perfect as an iPhone.
But the closer I got to this flawless ideal, the more I denied myself as an individual.
My uniqueness was gone.
That removed me from myself and from art.
Anyone else could have created flawless objects.
SPIEGEL
: Is there a contradiction between uniqueness and perfection?
Sachs
: People strive to connect telepathically with one another, for example through blockchains or Instagram, they become a single, glued mass.
On the other hand, we want to be perceived as meaningful individuals.
But when everyone is on the same wavelength, we lose our uniqueness.
That is a contradiction.
The advantage for me as an artist is that I can celebrate mistakes and irregularities in my work, that's why I do it too.
SPIEGEL
: At the same time, you are a fan of very precise regulations.
Anyone who comes into contact with you must first study the ten basic rules of your work, regardless of whether you are a journalist or an employee of your studio.
Why?
Sachs
: I know that sounds paradoxical.
But there are around 20 people in my studio and it's important that everything we create follows the same philosophy.
If my people improvised too much, the project would fall apart.
Creativity can also be an enemy at times.
She needs a frame.
SPIEGEL
: Your favorite tool is the hot glue gun.
Why?
Sachs
: For me it symbolizes handicraft, which I appreciate very much, it is the basis of everything.
And the drops of hot glue look like something biological, like they came straight out of the human body.
SPIEGEL
: In Hamburg you are calling for people to scrap their own smartphones.
What's behind it?
Sachs
: Smartphones are the most effective drug mankind has ever produced. We get withdrawal symptoms when they are absent. They run us like a sect. I now want to get close to 30 milligrams of gold per device. If I get 5000 pieces together, I will cast a smartphone idol from the gold. And then shoot them into space.