Guy Lochhead, 06/07/10
The only piece of art on the Moon is a 3” aluminium model of an astronaut in a spacesuit. It is currently sited at Hadley Rille, having been placed there by Apollo 15 in 1971. It was not allowed to be identifiably male or female, or of any particular ethnic group. Its creator’s name was not to be made public, and reproductions of it were not to be sold, in accordance with NASA’s wish to avoid the commercialisation of space, but one reproduction does exist in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. It was made by Paul Van Hoeydonck, who did in fact attempt to sell copies of it. This is so good! However, I don’t know if including it will somehow contribute to the commercialisation of space. I don’t think so actually. It’s a very simple shape, so could be made carelessly in an art class or something…