ABOUT THIS COLLECTION  
During the summer of 1975, Princeton physics professor and space visionary Gerard K. O’Neill brought together professors of engineering, physical science, social science, and architecture over a 10-week period to design a system for the colonization of space, which was published in a report. The goal was to build an orbiting community with materials and technologies available at the time. Artists Rick Giudice and Don Davis were hired to create illustrations of the colonies described in the report. The colonies all rotated (rotation was needed to provide gravity) and took three forms: a toroidal (or donut-shaped) colony, a cylindrical colony, and a “Bernal sphere,” which would house people inside the surface of a sphere. These visions of a future in space ignited imaginations worldwide and helped spark a grassroots movement to build Earth-like habitats in space.  The images are just as beautiful today as there were then, and express a kind of optimism that seems alien to us now.
 
COLLECTION DETAILS
Series title: Space Colony
Series size: 8 artworks
Edition: Limited edition of 1000
Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarrante proof of ownership.
Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
Medium: Illustration, renderings, scanning
Artwork materials:  N/A
Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
ID: 2749212597480566...
 
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Don Davis and Rick Giudice are among the world’s foremost artists of astronomical art. They are internationally known for their portrayals of space-related subjects, whose work is characterized by attention to detail and authentic portrayals based on what is known of the subject. For this assignment, the artists were given instructions on how to depict the interiors of the space colonies, which they brought to imaginative life in paintings roughly 30 x 40 inches. These romantic depictions of the colonization of space convey the grandeur of the proposed colonies. You can see long, rolling hills of green, rivers and neighborhoods filled with modern homes. They portray a utopian existence where residents live in harmony in a perfect and well-controlled climate.
 
COLLECTION CREDITS
Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Artwork: Rick Giudice & Don Davis
Year of original publication: ca. 1970s
Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
Editorial: Braden Phillips
Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
Executive production: Victor Zabrockis
 
RIGHTS OVERVIEW
Source of artwork: NASA
Underlying work rights: PD GOV
Digital copyrights: No Additional Rights