So far, almost all space programs have been led by governments, usually as part of their military programs.
Very seldom were these initiatives developed by amateurs. After three years of research and one year of experience as a satellite engineer, Song Hojun has found that it is possible to launch and operate a personal satellite at a fairly reasonable price. In addition, he has for the past five years been exploring ways to integrate the concept of a personal satellite project into cultural contexts and into his artistic practice.
All the satellite-related systems (except for the rocket to launch it) are DIY programs — designed so that regular people may also have the chance of developing and eventually launching their own.
Join us (last minute!) this Sunday April 25th at 5pm for a presentation by Song, who will have his satellite with him for showing.
For the people who want to study more before they come, they can download Song’s book from Google Books here.
Song Hojun is an artist who prefers to discover niches of technonolgy and to mix them together. By detecting these niches he uses them as means of social commentary or as objects to express aesthetics. He likes to use microprocessors, sensors, PCB, aluminium, etc as textures and paints. He has participated in a series of group exhibitions and had two solo exhibitions. Currently, he is using and implementing extreme technologies to create narratives, and working on “the strongest weapon in the world,” “radiation jewelry,” and “Open Source Satellite Initiative.”