The “Satellite Rhino’’ series, a philanthropic art initiative, aims to democratize access to satellite imagery for nature conservation efforts in South Africa. To increase the reach and initial funding for such efforts, multimedia artist Sam Price produced an award-winning series of animated artworks. The project recently took its next big step: to the Moon.
As a part of the US’ first return to the lunar surface in over 50 years, one of the five pieces from this incredible initiative was selected as an awardee of BitBasel’s CryptoArt for Impact and Innovation Challenge, which aims to advance the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals through digital artwork. The 22 winners, who were recognized and represented at Miami Art Week in 2022 and 2023, were curated for the Lunaprise Museum: the first art collection on the Moon. The project was organized by Space Blue — an art, media, and production company, led by founder Dallas Santana, that brings together “art enthusiasts, technology aficionados, and passionate lovers of all things related to space.”
The mission’s cohort of 222 artists had digital twins of their earthbound projects inscribed on a disk designed to last a billion years. Each artwork was laser etched onto Nanofiche nickel-based film. This novel data preservation technique is well suited for harsh environments on and off of Earth.
The time capsule is included in specialized cargo on a lunar lander, which is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program — selected to deliver payloads ahead of the first Artemis missions to land on the moon. The Lunaprise Museum took flight on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 1:05 AM EST on February 15, 2024, and landed at 6:30 PM EST on February 22.
Each work is a unique, digitally animated collage of paint swatches from dozens of original paintings by Price.
“The Satellite Rhino series represents my first foray into artistic philanthropy and multimedia collage,” shared Price. “I sampled brush strokes from original acrylic paintings to stitch together novel animated scenes. This process was somewhat derived from my interest in the recursive relationship between the abstract palette and the representational painting that follows — in each of my artworks. Both look vastly different but each drives the look of the other, in ways that only the artist can fully appreciate.”
Price has always had an interest in space even before he began his journey as an artist, and frequently finds ways to integrate the subject into his work.
“Outer space inspires a lot of my art, through its explicit representation as well as its underlying conceptualization and themes. A core focus of my exploration is the power of darkness as a creative force. Space exploration parallels the artistic process, as both are acts of drawing out clarity from ambiguity.”
Price had more to say about how the series connected to his art:
“My artistic practice explores the recursive relationship between the landscapes we emerge from and what we create. The sale of this original set of animated painting collages will in turn aid investment in a new wildlife hospital and satellite data of rhino activity — resulting in more diverse natural landscapes from those of my conception.”
The Satellite Rhino initiative is a remarkable demonstration of how space and Web3 technology can be used for the greater good. By supporting this cause, individuals can own unique space assets while financing philanthropic initiatives.
Learn more about Sam Price’s work on his website and keep up to date with his art on Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, TikTok, and Facebook. Visit spaceblue.club for more information about the Lunaprise.
