Thanks to Amanda White and Jon M. Gibson, space travelers will soon have a piece of art to entertain them when they pass by Earth.
Iam8bit, a 10-person creative production company in Echo Park co-founded by White and Gibson in 2005, dreamed up the artwork for what might be the world’s first pop-art satellite, to be launched Oct. 29 by Scotland’s Clyde Space.
The artwork etched into its side panel makes the shoebox-size satellite look like an electric charging station. The idea was to invite tired aliens to charge their communicators, spaceships or other electronic devices running on low battery power after all that interstellar travel (as long as they have a USB connector).
The satellite has a practical purpose. It will orbit 373 miles above Earth taking atmospheric measurements, traveling through space at 17,000 miles an hour for the next 25 years.
The pair expects the design of the satellite to make people think about how we interact with technology.
“It’s perhaps a deeper conversation to be had – the idea of Earthlings being obsessed with their devices, and in the vastness of space, we feel alone if we’re untethered from the universe,” said Gibson. “We need to constantly charge up even as we are exploring and discovering new worlds.”
Clyde contacted iam8bit three years ago, asking if it could use iam8bit’s old logo, which featured alien invaders. When White and Gibson first saw the email, they were confused.
“When someone comes to you and says, ‘Do you want to design art for something that’s going to orbit Earth?’ it doesn’t really seem that real,” said Gibson.
Though they didn’t charge Clyde for their design services, White and Gibson, who have produced events, designed mailers and made commercials for clients including Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., PlayStation, MTV Networks Co. and Walt Disney Co., expect the exposure will bring in more clients who are looking for innovative marketing ideas – most likely studios, and video-game and fashion companies.
“For us, it was a fun project,” said Gibson. “The idea of art being in space … is a way for humankind to explore beyond this rock we live on.”
– Kay Chinn
