"encounters with the terrible sublime" / why we love Tom Sach's SPACE PROGRAM

We have been big fans of Tom Sachs since the late 1990's when he first popped into onto our radar with his cardboard and thermal tape constructions of designer branded objects like the Prada toilet and the Hermes value meal.  Since those days his constructions have become more ambitious and his staging has grown to mythic proportions.  One of our favorite Tom Sachs moments of all time is captured in the movie above.  In 2007's Space Program Sachs recreated a lunar lander, all the associated astronaut gear (like flight suits and equipment)  and a mission control center.  Then he and his staff recreated the moon shot from lift-off, to moon landing, to splash down, all with breathtaking attention to detail and a wicked sense of humor.  As the press release for the project summarizes:

In addition to the huge, intricately built lunar module that is the centerpiece of SPACE PROGRAM - replete with such classic Sachsian features as a fully stocked booze cabinet, toolkit, and soundtrack necessary for survival on an alien planet - visitors will find a fully functioning mission-control unit. On a grid of monitors, the liturgy of space exploration unfolds in a live demonstration by Sachs and his team, involving countless rituals and procedures, from instrument checks to moon-walking and sample-collecting to splash-down. Thus the gallery becomes a sort of reliquary of both the material traces and special effects of the artist's encounters with the terrible sublime.


Learn more about Tom Sachs on his website www.tomsachs.org.  While you are there be sure to check out the art goodies in his store, including the Stanley Kubrick Tape Measure which made us smile.
Video and press release from tomsachs.org.