Republic of the Moon

An exhibition of artists' fantastical imaginings curated by the UK's leading experimental art and science organisation, The Arts Catalyst.

The Arts Catalyst, which has worked with the European Space Agency and anarchic autonomous astronauts for 20 years, is declaring a Republic of the Moon here on earth.

Through the work of international artists - including Liliane Lijn, Leonid Tishkov, Katie Paterson, Agnes Meyer Brandis, We Colonised the Moon - the show re-examines our relationship with the earth's only satellite by combining personal encounters, DIY space plans, imaginary expeditions and new myths for the next space age.

Performances, workshops, music, talks, playful protests against lunar exploitation, even a pop-up moon shop by Super/Collider animate the space.

Based on Francis Godwin's book "The Man in the Moone" artist Agnes Meyer Brandis has raised 11 moon geese from birth in Italy, giving them astronauts' names, training them to fly and taking them on expeditions. The artist has built a remote Moon analogue habitat for the geese, which will be operated from a control room within the gallery.

Katie Paterson's Earth-Moon-Earth could possibly be the most magical of them all. Using a form of radio transmission whereby messages are sent in Morse code from earth, reflected from the surface of the moon and then received back on earth. The moon reflects only part of the information back – some is absorbed in its shadows. For this work Paterson has translated Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata into Morse code and sent it to the moon. Returning to earth fragmented by the moon's surface, it has been re-translated into a new score, the gaps and absences becoming intervals and rests. In the exhibition the moon–altered score is performed on a self-playing grand piano.

Leonid Tishkov's Private Moon is both romantic and beautiful, it tells the story of a man who met the Moon and stayed with her for the rest of his life. In a series of intimate photographs, the artist pairs images of his private moon with verse which describes how the Moon helps us to overcome our loneliness in the universe by uniting us around it. Tishkov and his illuminated moon have travelled the world for almost ten years.

Family workshops are held by We Colonised the Moon as well as the opportunity to build a Moon vehicle with artist Joanna Griffin and the students of Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore, India.