The Cultural Gravity of Space: Policy, Practice, and Imagination
The European Cultural Outer Space Activities (ECOSA) Lab explored the foundations of cultural and artistic engagement with outer space. The study revealed that artists working with outer space and planetary themes regard art as a legitimate form of knowledge production—one that explores cultural and philosophical dimensions and offers alternative imaginaries. There is a shared frustration with the superficial inclusion of art in space contexts, where it is often instrumentalised for outreach and impact. Instead, artists call for structural integration into space institutions, research and innovation frameworks, long-term support for independent and critical practices, and the democratisation of space beyond purely scientific and national interests. Many artists and cultural organisations operate through fragile, project-based networks, relying on DIY infrastructures, alternative communities, and cross-disciplinary collaborations to pursue research-led, often speculative, and culturally grounded work.
While the More-than-Planet project broadly demonstrated the diverse ways in which artists engage with outer space and planetary issues—often in parallel with governmental, scientific, and industrial efforts—the ECOSA study focused more specifically on the structural changes required. It addressed necessary shifts in cultural and space policy, institutional culture, and the development of new models of collaboration.
Institutional and Structural Activities
There is a need for systemic—not symbolic—inclusion of societal and cultural activities within the space sector and its programmes. This includes embedding culture at strategic levels, developing lasting frameworks, and ensuring autonomy for artists.
- Integrate civil society into space policymaking
Establish participatory platforms and advisory boards that include representatives from cultural organisations, local communities, and NGOs—especially those involving art, cultural, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and other marginalised groups. - Appoint cultural liaisons within space institutions
Create permanent positions for artists, curators, and cultural researchers within space agencies to inform strategy and programme design beyond one-off residencies. - Establish independent artistic infrastructures
Develop public and philanthropic funding schemes for autonomous artist-led initiatives in the space sector, free from alignment with institutional branding or communication goals. - Fund long-term critical cultural research
Support artistic and cultural projects that investigate, critique, and imagine space futures, treating them as forms of knowledge-making, not as outreach tools. - Embed culture into official policy agendas
Include art, culture, civil society, and democratic values in the core strategic documents, diversity mandates, and sustainability frameworks of space agencies and institutions. - Reframe space discourse towards stewardship and commons
Develop educational, policy, and media campaigns that shift the narrative from ownership and exploitation toward collective care, responsibility, and planetary commons.
Cultural, Epistemological & Methodological Shifts
To truly reimagine space, the space sector must embrace alternative ways of knowing—such as those provided by the arts, Indigenous epistemologies, or speculative thinking. The role of art in the space sector is not to reaffirm existing norms but to challenge them and seek new ones.
- Use art as a method of knowledge production
Commission artistic projects that propose new cosmologies, challenge dominant narratives, and offer alternative ontologies of space through embodied, visual, sonic, or performative means. - Ensure meaningful decolonial practice
Conduct audits of space initiatives claiming to be “inclusive” or “decolonial” and revise partnerships and language to reflect actual community engagement and power-sharing. - Support non-instrumental and fragile practices
Provide resources and recognition for poetic, ritualistic, or emotionally resonant cultural forms that do not align with conventional success metrics but contribute to inclusivity and diversity of imaginaries. - Facilitate comparative planetary imaginaries
Curate exhibitions, residencies, and dialogues that explore how different cultures envision outer space and planetary futures beyond techno-utopian frameworks.
Collaboration & Cross-Sector Dynamics
Meaningful collaboration between artists, scientists, and institutions requires mutual respect, structural support, and a rejection of extractive models. Artists need time, resources, and allies—not token invitations.
- Foster mutual understanding between artists and scientists
Organise joint workshops and residencies that include technical training for artists and cultural training for scientists to build interdisciplinary fluency and respect. - Create matchmaking platforms for collaboration
Develop databases or networking programmes that pair experimental artists with technologists, engineers, and researchers who are open to exploratory, low-resource collaborations. - Compensate community engagement properly
Fund outreach, participatory, and educational work led by artists as integral to cultural research—not as unpaid or undervalued extras. - Support Global South participation in space culture
Launch residency exchanges, fellowships, and collaborative platforms prioritising artists and researchers from non-spacefaring nations and underrepresented regions.
Although it is not necessarily expected that the space sector will adopt such cultural space activities, they still serve as valuable guidelines for cultural organisations and practitioners in developing new programmes. The More-than-Planet will use these guidelines as a reference for future activities.