Artist Tavares Strachan launches satellite artwork ENOCH into Space | Art+Technology Lab
On December 8, 2018, LACMA Art + Technology Lab grant recipient Tavares Strachan launched his project ENOCH into space. Created in collaboration with LACMA, Strachan’s ENOCH is centered around the development and launch of a 3U satellite that brings to light the forgotten story of Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., the first African American astronaut selected for any national space program. In this new body of work, Strachan combines hidden histories, traditions of ancient Egypt, Shinto rituals and beliefs, and the history of exploration. This short film goes behind the scenes and presents the artist’s perspective on this project.
Lawrence died in 1967 while training a junior pilot in landing techniques at Edwards Air Force Base, and his aspirations to go to space were never realized. He was an accomplished Air Force pilot, the first doctorate-holding aerospace researcher to be selected as an astronaut, and the developer of the “flare” technique, now a critical maneuver of space shuttle landing. Despite his belated recognition in 2017, in which NASA leaders honored his many contributions on the 50th anniversary of his death, Lawrence remains virtually invisible amid the commemorative culture of space exploration.
To honor the astronaut’s legacy, Strachan created a 24-karat gold canopic jar with a bust of Lawrence. The artwork nods to a practice employed by the ancient Egyptians to protect and preserve organs of the deceased for use in the afterlife. It was blessed at a Shinto shrine in Fukuoka, Japan, and was recognized as a container for Lawrence’s soul. Named in the ritual blessing as “Robert Lawrence – Enoch” the canopic jar incorporates three religious traditions, all of which center on the agency of objects and the potential of a person’s spirit to endure. The name Enoch refers to a biblical figure (present in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sacred texts) who never experienced mortal death, instead ascending directly into the afterlife. Strachan’s work integrates ancient belief systems with our current faith in technological progress—while rendering that progress inseparable from the efforts of the unrecognized lives that built our contemporary world.
Learn more about this project at http://www.lacma.org/enoch.
About the Art + Technology Lab
Inspired by the spirit of LACMA’s original Art and Technology program (1967–71), which paired artists with technology companies in Southern California, the Art + Technology Lab at LACMA supports artist experiments with emerging technology. Through our sponsors, the Lab provides grants, in-kind support, and facilities at the museum to develop new artist projects.
To learn about projects and events presented by the Art + Technology Lab, visit http://www.lacma.org/LAB.
The Art + Technology Lab is presented by Hyundai.
The Lab is made possible by Accenture, Snap, Inc., and DreamWorks Animation.
Additional support is provided by SpaceX and Google.
The Lab is part of The Hyundai Project: Art + Technology at LACMA, a joint initiative exploring convergence of art and technology.
Seed funding for the development of the Art + Technology Lab was provided by the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission through the Productivity Investment Fund and LACMA Trustee David Bohnett.
Watch more videos from the Art +Technology Lab: lacma.org/labvideos
About LACMA
Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 140,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences.
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