What can a book the size of a finger-tip tell us about the Moon and humanity? Visitors to a new exhibition at Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis can soon find out.
Moon Bound, a 1 cm³ miniature book being sent to the Moon this year as part of a science rover, will be presented in Plovdiv, inviting visitors to explore relationships among art, science, and the Moon. The exhibition centers on a single question: How does the Moon see the Earth? Alongside the book, the exhibition features artworks in multiple formats that create an immersive experience blending scientific research with artistic imagination.
Presented inside the Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis, the exhibition places contemporary space-focused art within a historic setting. The ancient architecture creates a powerful contrast, connecting humanity’s earliest cultural history with modern visions of space exploration and our place in the cosmos.
The exhibition is presenting:
— The Moon Bound Book by Moon Gallery
— The ISS Payload by Moon Gallery
— FENUA: The Last Fragment by Paulina Almeida
— Time Slices by Lakshmi Mohanbabu
— Alien from the Mechanical Angel by Luis Bernardo Guzmán
— Imprint of Lightness by Jeanne Morel and Paul Marlier
— Inner Telescope by Eduardo Kac
— Un·Earthing (playsuit for Mars) by Ralo Mayer
— Measuring Mistakes by Ulrike Kuchner
— Cosmic Dancer by Arthur Woods
— Flight Candidate #9 and Substruction by Hans Brooymans
— Tantalum Ring, After Schengen series by Kongo Astronauts
— Self Portrait on the Hubble Space Telescope of NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld by Michael Soluri
The opening took place on 23rd of February at 18:00.
The opening evening welcomed a wonderful audience – 180 guests, reaching full capacity of the venue. NOVA TV and Bulgarian National Television were on the ground with live coverage, and Moon Gallery participated in a full 1-hour live show on Plovdiv Societal TV.
The opening was accompanied by live music – blending classical and jazz, performed by renowned musicians from the European Capital of Culture 2019: Miroslav Turiyski, Alexander Lekov, Zhelyazka Belchilova.
Dates: 23 February – 15 March.
Opening times: 9.00 – 18.00.
Last entry: 17.15
Address: Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis, 2 Knyaginya Maria Luiza Blvd. Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Entry is free of charge.
The exhibition has been curated by Luis Bernardo Guzmán.
Lead funding for the Moon Bound exhibition has been provided by the Bulgarian Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Projects – Plovdiv. This exhibition is supported through Project BG-RRP-11.024-0037 ‘Book for the Moon’; by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, administered by the National Culture Fund of Bulgaria.
