Our Moon. Longing, Art and Science

The Moon, closest neighbor and constant companion of the Earth, is not only an extremely interesting cosmic body with an exciting history, but also has a tremendous attraction for romantics, writers, and artists. The Natural History Museum Vienna takes the 50th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing as an opportunity to show the Moon and all its facets in an extensive special exhibition.

A historical overview of the early investigation and mapping of the Moon is supplemented by the explanation of fundamental astronomical phenomena such as lunar phases, solar and lunar eclipses, etc. The interaction of the Moon with the Earth and its influence on the life on Earth – be it by the tides and the resulting biological diversity, or by the influence of the moonlight on the reproduction cycles of some animal species – are examined. The Moon as a geological object, its composition and the process of its formation, is discussed in detail, as is the history of space exploration and the Moon landings. Unusual and exciting interactive stations provide an opportunity to smell the moon, become a lunar rover driver, or touch a real piece of the Moon. Among the highlights is a spectacular newly acquired lunar meteorite, which will be shown for the first time in the context of this exhibition.

Aside from the various scientific topics that are the core of our special exhibit, a large variety of artists are also represented (with films, installations, photos, and paintings).
These include Klemens Brosch (1894-1926), Oskar Laske (1874-1951), Georges Méliès (1861-1938), Leander Russ (1809-1864), Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), Joseph Rebell (1787-1828), und Michael Wutky (1739-1822).

The following contemporary artists are represented (with some works being shown here for the first time):
Laurie Anderson (USA) & Hsin-Chien Huang (Taiwan), Martin Beck (Austria), James Benning (USA), Michael Benson (USA), Sabine Groschup (Austria), LIQUIFER Systems Group (Austria), Dona Jalufka (USA/Austria), Luke Jerram (UK), Robert Longo (USA), Paula Metallo (USA/Italy), Florian Raditsch (USA/Austria), and Christian Stangl (Austria).