The general idea behind the collaborative "ARTSAT: Art and Satellite Project" launched by Tama Art University and The University of Tokyo is to create a variety of works in the fields of sound art and interactive media art, based on a conception of satellites as "media that connect everyday life to the universe."

By enabling such open, social operations, the aim is to transform satellites from specialists' tools to common media for daily use, and to present the general public with specific examples of what such meetings of science/technology and art/design in space may produce.

"ARTSAT1: INVADER," the world's first art satellite introduced in the "ARTSAT: Art and Satellite Project," has been selected for a piggyback payload on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) H-IIA rocket that is scheduled to be launched in February 2014. If the launch is successful, the satellite will remain in orbit for about one year, during which all kinds of events will take place.

Offered prior to the satellite launch, this "ARTSAT: Introduction" will serve as an opportunity to propose the various plans related to the satellite art project at large to society, and facilitate a discussion of their meanings and possibilities. The exhibition is divided into three periods – "Manmade Moon" introducing basic facts about satellites; "Physical Satellite" showcasing experimental and productive attempts related to satellite art; and "ARTSAT1: INVADER" explaining the art satellite and documenting the process of its development.

ARTSAT Project