Outer Space Transmitter
An artistic contribution to the REGIOPARL-project
Art and Science
REGIOPARL is a participatory research project. Besides the exchange between academia and politics, REGIOPARL attaches great importance to the dialogue about Europe with citizens.
In this spirit, REGIOPARL published a call for artistic contributions for the public space. As the winning project, the Outer Space Transmitter will accompany REGIOPARL throughout Europe’s regions, beginning in November 2020.
REGIOPARL’s research on regional parliaments in the EU is thus complemented by an artistic approach on debating Europe with citizens. Furthermore, the project aims at making an innovative contribution to the current debate on the future of Europe.
The artist Mona Schulzek designed the Outer Space Transmitter in the framework of her collaboration with the research project REGIOPARL. The realisation and financing of this contribution is carried out in cooperation with Forum Morgen.
Mona Schulzek
Mona Schulzek (*1992) is a visual artist. She studies at the art academy of Düsseldorf in the class of Gregor Schneider and Peter Piller. In 2019, she received the Max Ernst scholarship for her artistic work, which was accompanied by a solo exhibition in the Max Ernst Museum. She also received the 1st Prize of the Vonovia Awards for her photographic work “Ottomane”, which is presented in numerous private collections and museums.
Schulzek is going to take her exam to become an amateur radio operator in the spring of 2021 as part of her artistic research in the field of “electromagnetic art”.
Outer Space Transmitter
The Outer Space Transmitter is an apparatus able to send messages into space to extraterrestrial forms of life. It is presented in public places and invites people to approach Europe and life in the European Union from a personal perspective.
The Outer Space Transmitter travels through different regions in Europe, asking the question:
What does it mean to be a citizen of the European Union?
Passersby can enter their individual answers, using the installation’s terminal on site in their region. From each text message an art image is created and sent into space via the antenna of the apparatus. From there, the visual messages start their journey through the universe – maybe to be found one day as artefacts of our time.
All messages are published in a constantly growing digital archive on the project website www.outerspacetransmitter.art, to capture and portray the various perspectives of citizens in the different European regions.
Departures
The Outer Space Transmitter starts its journey in the German-speaking area of the EU and moves on to different regions throughout Europe, which also are research objects of REGIOPARL. Both, the urban and rural area are supposed to be represented with the selected locations.
On selected dates messages can be entered on the project website, which are then sent into space as radio wave signals.
12 | 11 | 2020
06 + 07 | 05 | 2021
Digital Event University of Tübingen
06 + 07 | 05 | 2021
18 – 20 | 06 | 2021
Art festival AIC on 2021 in Cologne
12 | 07 | 2021
Digital Event Donau-Gymnasium Kelheim
12 | 07 | 2021
03 | 09 | 2021
Exhibition "Science Ex–time travels" in Dortmund
15 | 10 | 2021
Jagiellonian University Kraków
15 | 10 | 2021
25 – 31 | 10 | 2021
Exhibition at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
08 + 09 | 11 | 2021
Digital Event at EuroPCom
08 + 09 | 11 | 2021
25 | 04 | 2022
Alicante
08 | 05 | 2022
Berlin
08 | 05 | 2022
20 | 05 | 2022
Lange Nacht der Forschung, Krems
23 | 05 | 2022
St. Pölten
23 | 05 | 2022
What’s new?
The Outer Space Transmitter travels to Austria
On its journey through Europe’s regions, the art project Outer Space Transmitter pays a visit to Austria! On 20 May 2022, the OST will be sending your messages on Europe to outer space from Lange Nacht der Forschung (event in German) at Danube University Krems before visiting St. Pölten on 23 May 2022. Here, interested passers-by will have the opportunity to send their thoughts on Europe to outer space from 12:00 to 19:00 from Rathausplatz St. Pölten.
Here, you find the Outer Space Transmitter archive.
Past Events
The OST in Austria: St. Pölten, 23 May 2022
On 23 May 2022, the Outer Space Transmitter made its second stop on its tour through Austria in St. Pölten. With friendly support by the city museum St. Pölten (Stadtmuseum St. Pölten), the OST sent messages on Europe and the European Union by interested passers-by to outer space.
Especially some passing students were quite taken with the Outer Space Transmitter.
A view from local news reporting may be found here (in German).
The OST in Austria: Krems, 20 May 2022
Starting its one-week journey through Austria, on 20 May 2022, the Outer Space Transmitter visited Danube University Krems. During this year’s Austrian Lange Nacht der Forschung the OST was one of many attractions on the university campus designed to make academic research accessible to a broader audience. From the audimax in Krems, artist Mona Schulzek sent the visitors’ messages to outer space and answered many questions on the technical details and the functioning as well as the artistic idea behind the OST, whilst the REGIOPARL team presented its academic research at a station inside the university.
And some more sun: the OST visits Berlin on 8 May 2022
On 8 May 2022, the interactive art project “Outer Space Transmitter” by artist Mona Schulzek visited Berlin! In front of the Zeiss-Grossplanetarium from 11 am onwards, interested by-passers could send their thoughts on Europe into space.
Following a REGIOPARL invitation, from 5 pm – 6.30 pm, author and activist Nini Tsiklauri, Laura Neugebauer, Chair of the EU-Committee of the Berlin House of Deputies, Martin Kasperek, adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EU youth representative at Deutscher Bundesjugendring, Sakiye Boukari, discussed the role of Europe’s youth in the debate on the future of the EU during a panel discussion entitled: “The Future is Yours?! Europe’s Youth in the EU’s future debate”.
Programme (in German)
The OST gets some sun in Alicante, 25 April 2022
The journey continues… On 25 April 2022, the art project Outer Space Transmitter visited Alicante (ES) and asked once again: What does it mean to be a citizen of the European Union?
Numerous pass-byers sent their replies towards outer space and engaged in lively discussions on the EU and its future with the artist Mona Schulzek and the REGIOPARL team. In attendance of local press representatives, several members of the city council (Consejal Municipal) visited the Outer Space Transmitter as well and participated in the conversations.
From local news coverage (in Spanish):
The Outer Space Transmitter in Düsseldorf from 25 to 31 October
From 25 to 31 October the “Outer Space Transmitter” is exhibited in the framework of the Rundgangs der Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. This exhibition showcases the work of the Academy’s students, including the artist behind the artistic contribution to the REGIOPARL-project, Mona Schulzek.
During this week visitors have the possibility to send their messages about Europe into outer space by visiting the art project’s website www.outerspacetransmitter.art.
Outer Space Transmitter in Kraków on 15. October 2021
On 15 October, the art project “Outer Space Transmitter” stopped in Kraków, Poland. The impressive installation was exhibited in front of the Collegium Novum, the main building of the Jagiellonian University Kraków, which co-organized this event. Starting a dialogue about Europe through an artistic approach was very well received: Numerous people took the unique opportunity to send their messages about Europe from their region into outer space. The local press also reported about the performance. Find the messages from this departure here.
Exhibition Science-Ex – Time travels on 03.09.2021
In the course of the exhibition Science-Ex – timeless travels, the art project by REGIOPARL, the Outer Space Transmitter, was installed at the Kunsthaus Dortmund on 3 September.
2. Digital event at the Donau-Gymnasium Kelheim on 12.07.2021
On 12. July 2021 REGIOPARL visited the Donau-Gymnasium Kelheim to discuss the future of the EU with pupils. Following the concept of our interventions with regional MPs, REGIOPARL put emphasis on the exchange of perspectives also with young Europeans, being attributed a central role in the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
During the workshop, the participants shared their attitudes towards the EU, the positive aspects of being part of a political community, but also considering institutional deficits. It stood out, that the pupils perceived the EU especially as a community of values. This was also reflected in their participation in the art project “Outer Space Transmitter”. To get familiar with the issue in the beginning, the pupils sent messages about Europe into outer space. The experience was very well received and fueled a lively debate.
More details about this workshop are available (in German) here.
Art Festival AIC ON 2021 at the Kunsthafen Köln
From 18 to 20 June, the Outer Space Transmitter was exhibited at the Kunsthafen in Cologne as part of the AIC ON 2021 art festival.
1. Digital Depature in Tübingen on 6./7. May 2021
On Thursday and Friday, 6 and 7 May, the University of Tübingen, under the direction of Professor Gabriele Abels, in cooperation with the REGIOPARL research project and the Arbeitskreis Europäische Integration e.V., organized the conference “From Takers to Shapers”, to which the project team contributed both with scientific contributions and with the presentation of its art project, the Outer Space Transmitter.
During the conference participants had the possibility to send messages about Europe into space. Moreover, the artist Mona Schulzek was available for several Q&A-sessions and gave some insight into her conceptional idea of the art project.
Here you can find the video recording of the presentation of the Outer Space Transmitter.
Digital Kick-Off on 12th of November 2020
What does it mean to be a citizen of the European Union? On the 12th of November, REGIOPARL invited a well-versed panel to discuss this question from the different perspectives of science, politics and art. The digital event took place in the framework of the official launch of the art project Outer Space Transmitter by Mona Schulzek.
Prof. Dr. Ireneusz Paweł Karolewski, University of Leipzig, moderated the discussion on the interplay between region, nation and Europe between Secretary of State Mathias Weilandt, State Ministry of Saxony for Justice and Democracy, Europe and Equality, Prof. Ulrike Guérot, Danube University Krems, Prof. Gabriele Abels, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen and Franciska Zólyom, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig.
Here you can find the full press release (in German) about the event.
