By 
December 4th, 2016
Credit: Eyal Gever
Put aside the sci-fi axiom that nobody can hear you scream in space…but what about laughter?
Israeli artist Eyal Gever is working on “#LAUGH (2016)” — a global collaborative art project — to be launched into Earth orbit. It is set to become the first piece of art to be fabricated on a zero-gravity 3D-printer aboard the International Space Station.
The project began in 2014, when Gever, a digital artist and entrepreneur with more than 18 years experience in developing proprietary 3D technologies, got a phone call from the private group, Made In Space. He was offered the opportunity to become the first artist to make art in space.
“What would you do if you could create art in zero gravity?” was the high-bar challenge they set for him.
Universal appeal
From the view of Made In Space, if humanity is one day soon to thrive in space, then creating art and culture in space is equally as important as sending people into space and the technology to support them.
According to Gever, he knew that the project carried onerous responsibilities and that the subject he picked would have to have universal appeal, one that was neither country nor culturally-specific.
Talented artist, Eyal Gever, is preparing first 3D printed artwork.
Credit: Eyal Gever
Crowd-sourced laughter
After working on a range of ideas, he settled on #Laugh — a 3D sculpture fabricated from a sound simulation of crowd-sourced laughter.
People from all around the world can record themselves laughing, visualize it via an app and share it with their friends.
The laughter with the most shares and re-tweets after three months will be sent to the International Space Station to be 3D-printed and then released into orbit.
“The earliest cave paintings were of human hands which were a way of proclaiming and celebrating the presence of humanity,” says Gever.
“#Laugh will be the 21st century version of that,” Gever explains, “a mathematically-accurate encapsulation of human laughter, simply floating through space, waiting to be discovered.”
Public shout-out
To create a “#Laugh star” with just the sound of your voice and/or vote for your favorite star to be created in space, go to the site below.
Note that you have until midnight on December 31, 2016 to get the most “likes” and have your star 3D-printed in space onboard the International Space Station.
To take part in the art project, go to this iTunes site:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/laugh-create-art-in-space/id1166572680?mt=8
For more information on this artistic effort, go to:
Posted in Space News
