VMARS, The v.u.f.o.c Mars Analogue Research Station is a Mars Analog for Astronomy and Space Science enthusiasts in Indonesia, initiated by the Indonesia Space Science Society (ISSS).
ISSS was founded in 2015 in Yogyakarta by Venzha Christ as a framework for the exploration of space from the perspective of citizens. Through active collaborations with more than forty institutions and universities in this field worldwide, ISSS provides a compelling encounter with Space Science and Space Exploration research. The ISSS research network includes NASA, VIRAC, OCA, LAM, NARIT, JAXA, CEOU, SCASS, KARI, SpaceX, SETI, CSC, CERN, CPPM, IRAM, KEK, ELSI, CNES, ESA, etc.
As director of the ISSS, Venzha Christ has attended some training by the Mars Society at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, the USA in 2018, and Simulation of Human Isolation Research for Antarctica-based Space Engineering (SHIRASE) by the Field Assistant in Japan in 2019. He has collaborated with various communities, universities, and institutions in Indonesia and abroad to design and build VMARS as the first Mars Analog in Southeast Asia.
Key stakeholders in VMARS include the HONF Foundation, v.u.f.o.c lab, DOES University, Ilham A Habibie, Premana W Premadi, Gunawan Admiranto, Dhoni Yudhanto, Erix Soekamti, Grayce Soba, Yudianto Asmoro, and others. VMARS is a pilot project aimed at the development of Astronomy and Space Science education in Indonesia, to further Space Science and Space Exploration.
In the first phase of the program, VMARS focused on: research on terraforming under the name V-TF, introducing space farming under the name V-SFM, and creating alternative space food creations under the name V-SF.
VMARS is conceived by the community, built by the community, and destined for the community. It welcomes everyone who has an interest in space science and space development. Join us now, for a better future of Space Exploration and Space Development.
VMARS invites anyone from all over the world to collaborate and work together to build an education system and research network for the wider community in the field of Space Science and Space Exploration.
Pegiat space science, Venzha Christ, memulai proses pembangunan v.u.f.o.c Mars Analog Research Station (VMARS) di Kulon Progo, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta pada akhir 2022. VMARS adalah wahana simulasi pelatihan hidup di Planet Mars atau bisa disebut sebagai "Analog Mars".
Menurut Venzha, yang juga menjabat direktur Indonesia Space Science Society (ISSS), pandemi Covid-19 membuat pembangunan VMARS terhenti selama dua tahun, yang semestinya sudah dimulai pada tahun 2020. Oleh karena itu, ia menargetkan proyek simulasi pada pertengahan 2023 seiring dengan dimulainya pembangunan pada akhir tahun ini.
Venzha mengatakan “Wahana misi pelatihan hidup di Planet Mars atau analog Mars pertama di Asia Tenggara ini bakal menjadi simbol Indonesia dalam eksplorasi Planet Mars,”
Ia menyebutkan sejumlah negara juga sudah memiliki analog Mars, seperti, HI-SEAS di Mauna Loa - Hawaii oleh NASA, MDRS di Utah oleh Mars Society, MARS-500 di IBMP Moskow hasil kolaborasi antara Rusia, ESA, dan China. Kemudian ada D-Mars di Ramon Crater oleh Israel, F-MARS di Pulau Devon, Kutub Utara oleh Mars Society, dan Concordia Station di Antartika, dan Kutub Selatan oleh Perancis dan Italia (ESA).
Venzha menilai VMARS merupakan satu-satunya program eksplorasi ruang angkasa yang pembangunan dan pengelolaannya dilakukan serta dijalankan secara bersama-sama oleh berbagai komunitas indepeden interdisipliner secara swadaya dan amatir. Kolaborasi ini melibatkan unsur komunitas, universitas, pemerintah, praktisi, dan sektor swasta.
Sederet program sosialisasi dan publikasi untuk praproduksi VMARS gencar dilakukan, seperti pameran dan presentasi di berbagai negara.
Setelah presentasi pada event Yokohama Triennale di Jepang pada tahun 2020, selanjutnya VMARS dipresentasikan di Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) pada 2021 dengan judul : "MARS IS (NOT) A SIMULATION - a terraforming paradox after the mission".
Kemudian tahun ini VMARS kembali dipresentasikan dalam ajang "UNESCO Media Arts Creative City Platform" di Korea Selatan pada Maret sampai Juni 2022.
Paparan soal VMARS dipamerkan dalam pameran internasional berskala besar ini di Gwangju, Korea Selatan bertajuk "Digital Resonance". Pameran ini diikuti 22 karya dari 21 tim seniman atau komunitas dari seluruh dunia, seperti Lawrence Wreck, Baron Lantenne, Mark Lee, Rafael Lozano-Hammer, Park Sang Hwa, Akihiko Taniguchi, Doo-Young Kwon, Sasa Spacal, dan Andreas Schegel dengan kurator Seungah Lee dan Jyeong Yeon Kim.
VMARS merupakan satu-satunya karya yang berasal dari Indonesia dan diharapkan bisa membuka peluang untuk mengajak kolaborator dari berbagai negara turut serta bekerja sama dalam pengembangan teknologi interdisipliner di ranah sains antariksa dan eksplorasi luar angkasa. Dalam pameran ini, VMARS mengusung tema kolaboratif, sebagai sebuah fondasi dasar untuk pembangunan dan realisasi dari program Analog Mars ini.
Setelah Korea, VMARS selanjutnya akan dibawa ke Taiwan, dalam ajang internasional bertajuk : The International Techno Art Exhibition, "Mediating Asia" yang diadakan di National Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan. Dikuratori oleh Gunalan Nadarajan (USA), dan Yu Chuan Tseng, pameran ini diikuti antara lain oleh : Tad Ermitano, Etsuko Ichihara, IP Yuk Yiu, Joo Young Oh, dan Raqs Media Collective.
Presentasi VMARS ke ajang internasional akan terus dilakukan dan merupakan kegiatan yang berjalan simultan dengan preparasi atau persiapan pembangunan VMARS di tanah air. Program utama VMARS tahap pertama meliputi, penelitian terraforming (V-TF), pengenalan space farming (V-SFM), dan kreasi alternatif space food (V-SF).
Sedangkan turunannya berupa program lintas disiplin, antara lain riset radio astronomi, mengenal radiasi benda langit, pengenalan tentang space architecture, program kolaborasi space education, kreasi alternatif space food, inovasi teknologi space farming, serta penelitian extra-terrestrial life.
Karya yang diusung ini merupakan hasil kolaborasi dari Venzha Christ bersama ISSS, dengan HONF Foundation, v.u.f.o.c lab, DOES University, Erix Soekamti, Grayce Soba, dan Dhoni Yudhanto.
With the climate crisis looming in the near future, humans started to question our future living space. Two artists – Ayoung Kim (South Korea) and Venzha Christ (Indonesia) – have documented their ideas on human’s future habitat in their long-term works and research. This coming December, both artists will share their thoughts and open further discussions about the universe in an online Public Lecture and Workshop.
Hosted by ARCOLABS, a Jakarta-based curator initiative focusing on contemporary and new media art, the online Public Lecture titled “Art & Universe” will take place on Saturday, 3 December 2022 via online. During the three-hour lecture, Ayoung Kim will present her ideas of alternative worlds that are based on her surroundings. Meanwhile, Venzha Christ will share his long-term research about Mars – a potential living space for humans after Earth that still holds a lot of mystery. The program is part of the ongoing Lecture Series on Korea-Indonesia Contemporary Art, and is supported by Korea Foundation Jakarta.
Jeong Ok Jeon, ARCOLABS Director, said: “Finding alternative spaces for living is no longer something we watch in science fiction movies. With the climate crisis and post-pandemic world we live in, it is an ongoing quest for humanity to survive. As a way to move forward, I am glad that we can have Ayoung Kim and Venzha Christ to share their artistic practices that intersect with ideas of alternative living spaces – be it within and beyond Earth – with art students, practitioners, and many communities here in Indonesia.”
For those who seek to develop their artistic practice related to space science, ARCOLABS and VMARS (v.u.f.o.c Mars Analogue Research Station) will facilitate an online workshop from 3-6 December 2022, titled “Are You Ready For the Mars Mission?”. Mentored by Venzha Christ the founder of VMARS, the workshop involves two days in an isolated room, where participants are encouraged to use found objects to create a survival kit for living on Mars.
The workshop is open for public participants within groups of two to three people, who may register via an open call until 29 November 2022.
On the first day, participants will receive an orientation session to help them build a module system for a new life on Mars. In the next two days, the participants will realize their planned modules, which aim to find solutions for Mars living. The process will be done in isolation, as part of the Mars mission. The final modules will be presented at the end of the workshop, and later showcased at the 2023 Indonesia UFO Festival (IUF 2023) in Yogyakarta.
30 November 2022, The ARCOLABS and VMARS team have successfully selected the participants of the “Are You Ready For the Mars Mission?” workshop : 36 participants from 13 groups from various places in Indonesia.
