(2024 - first iteration) art-sci kinetic installation / collaboration with Dorotea Dolinšek

(2024 - prva iteracija) umetniško-znanstvena kinetična instalacija / v sodelovanju z Doroteo Dolinšek

While much of the space industry and societal ambitions are focused on finding a planet hospitable to life, a group of artists and scientists in the Astrotop_X project asks: Who or what is (or are) the subject(s) seeking a second home in space, and what defines the factors that characterize the cosmic landscape as landscape 'B'? The selected ecosystem in the capsule, aided by sensor technology and a computer algorithm, gazes into deep space, sifting through a database of exoplanets to assess where—if anywhere—it might be suitable to relocate in the future. A carefully chosen part of the Karst ecosystem in the Astrotop_X capsule analyzes the potential for living on exoplanets in real-time by monitoring its own temperature and circadian rhythm.

From a botanical perspective, Karst vegetation is undoubtedly already adapted to harsh living conditions; it is accustomed to stress: winter cold, precipitation, drought, sparse soil, overheating of the ground, solar radiation, and the strong bora wind. Similarly, though likely even harsher, would be conditions on an exoplanet. The moral-ecological dilemma: Wouldn't such a plant that visits or relocates to a foreign planet simply present an invasive species? The technical problem: How could plants survive such a long journey? The possibility of survival in such conditions is also a challenge for researchers, making the selection of plants for the journey the first and possibly most important decision. In addition to living plants, such a capsule could also include a so-called "seed bomb," patiently awaiting the end of the interstellar journey...

Astrotop_X is part of the official ECoC GO! 2025 programme and is based on the interplay of PostMobility and xMobil projects. This project explores the possibility of plants becoming autonomous protagonists of interstellar travel without human intervention. A space capsule with a karst ecosystem, equipped with sensor technology, analyses the living conditions on exoplanets and raises questions about the interdependence of living beings and the environment.

Medtem ko je velik del vesoljske industrije pa tudi družbenih ambicij in pripovedi usmerjen na iskanje življenju prijaznega planeta, se skupina umetnic_kov in znanstvenic_kov v projektu Astrotop_X sprašuje, kdo ali kaj je (ali so) subjekt, ki išče drugi dom v vesolju in kaj določa dejavnike, ki kozmično krajino opredelijo kot krajino 'B'. Izbrani ekosistem v kapsuli s pomočjo senzorske tehnologije ter računalniškega algoritma upira pogled v globoko vesolje, brska po podatkovni bazi eksoplanetov in presoja, kam – in če sploh – bi se kazalo preseliti v prihodnosti. Skrbno izbran del kraškega ekosistema v kapsuli Astrotop_X preko sporočanja stanja temperature in cirkadialnega ritma v realnem času analizirala bivanjski potencial na eksoplanetih.

Z vidika botanike je kraško rastlinstvo nedvomno že prilagojeno na trde življenjske pogoje, torej navajeno na stres v obliki zimskega mraza, padavin, suše, pomanjkanja zemlje, pregrevanja tal, sončnega sevanja in burje. Podobno, najbrž še huje bi bilo na eksoplanetu. Moralno-ekološka dilema: ali ne bi bila takšna rastlina, ki obišče ali se preseli na tuj planet, preprosto invazivna vrsta? Tehnični problem: kako naj rastline preživijo tako dolgo pot? Prav možnost preživetja v takih razmerah je izziv tudi za raziskovalce, zato je izbor rastlin za potovanje prva in morda najpomembnejša odločitev. Poleg živih rastlin bi v tako kapsulo lahko dodali tudi t.i. 'semensko bombico', ki potrpežljivo čaka na konec medzvezdnega potovanja.

Projekt je del uradnega programa EPK GO! 2025 in povezuje njegova programa PostMobilnost in xMobil. Astrotop_X raziskuje možnost, da rastline brez človeškega posredovanja postanejo avtonomni protagonisti medzvezdnih potovanj. Vesoljska kapsula s kraškim ekosistemom, opremljena s senzorsko tehnologijo, analizira bivanjske pogoje na eksoplanetih ter odpira vprašanja soodvisnosti živih bitij in okolja.