Launched in 2016, #Laugh is a global collaborative art project that resulted in the first sculpture created in space – using a 3D printer in zero gravity on board the International Space Station (ISS).
The project began in 2014 when Eyal Gever – a renowned digital artist and entrepreneur with over 18 years of experience in developing proprietary 3D technologies – received a call from Made In Space. Founded in 2010, the company works on behalf of NASA and aims to “enable the future of humanity in space”. Gever was offered the opportunity to become the first artist to create art in space.
The challenge was:
“What would you do if you could create art in zero gravity?”
Made In Space Inc. believes that art and culture in space are just as important as technology and people if humanity is to one day thrive in space.
Gever was aware of his responsibility and knew that the chosen theme had to have universal, cross-cultural and transnational significance. After many concept ideas, he decided on #Laugh – a 3D sculpture based on the sound simulation of collected laughter from around the world.
On February 10, 2017, the first artwork was finally printed directly in space on board the ISS.
From the official press release dated February 14, 2017, Moffett Field, California:
“A laughing star is born – created by artist Eyal Gever, based on over 100,000 laughs sent in.”
Mankind has always used a wide variety of art forms – painting, sculpture, music, photography, dance – to share experiences. Contemporary Israeli artist Eyal Gever uses art as a means of social influence and intercultural connection – and now even interplanetary. In collaboration with Made In Space, Inc., Gever has created the first work of art that was not created on Earth, but in space.
While artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Damien Hirst have created works that were later sent into space, Gever is the first to have his work produced directly in space – using state-of-the-art 3D printing technology in zero gravity.
Made In Space, Inc. operates the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) – the first and only commercial manufacturing facility outside of Earth. The AMF is a gravity-independent 3D printer that supports daily work on the ISS by printing required tools and components – without months of waiting for supplies to be delivered from Earth.
Gever thought it fitting that the first piece of art in space should be laughter – a symbol of what humanity can achieve through positivity.
“Laughter – like art – is a universally understandable human expression.”
He explains further:
“We live in epic times, where constant upheaval and rapid change against a backdrop of extreme cultural tensions challenge our conscience. A laughing star floating above our heads in space is my attempt to create a contemporary symbol for the floating sword of Damocles – a memorial to the fragility of human life.”
He goes on to say:
“The earliest cave paintings showed human hands – an expression of presence and self-confidence. #Laugh is the 21st century version: a mathematically precise representation of human laughter that floats through space – and may one day be discovered.”
The #Laugh project started on December 1 with the launch of a mobile app that Gever and his team used to record the laughter of users worldwide and convert it into digital 3D models – so-called Laugh Stars. Users could view and listen to stars and rate their favorites. In December 2016, over 100,000 individual Laugh Stars were created.
The following Friday, the winning star – sent in by Naughtia Jane Stanko from Las Vegas, Nevada – was printed on the AMF’s 3D printer on board the ISS.
Andrew Rush, President and CEO of Made In Space, Inc. emphasizes:
“It is important to show that technology and art are not separate worlds. This project illustrates that innovation and creativity are the driving forces behind the future of humanity in space.”
Eyal Gever and Jason Dunn, CTO of Made in Space, Inc. presented the winning laugh star in their talk at the South by Southwest Festival on March 13, 2017: “#Laugh: Creating Art Among the Stars”.
Video (The Creators Project)
The Creators Project accompanied Israeli artist Eyal Gever on his mission to create a sculpture in space. The film shows how Gever and his team, in collaboration with a NASA project team, explore what it means to be human – with the help of weightlessness and 3D computer graphics – and the challenges they have to overcome, both in choosing the artistic theme and in realizing a work of art for space.
About the artist
Eyal Gever
Eyal Gever is a renowned contemporary artist whose work sits at the intersection of art and technology. Using nothing more than code as a palette, he develops lifelike digital simulations of fleeting moments – often of a dramatic or catastrophic nature – from which he then creates 3D-printed sculptures and light installations.
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1970, he studied at the prestigious Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Eyal has been involved in the development of 3D technologies for over 25 years.