Artist Statement

In 2015, I traveled to Mars for the first time.

“Mars on Earth” is a photographic project that documents the diverse and ever-changing research happening in “space” without stepping a foot off the planet. Around the globe, space simulations and human factors studies envision a new science fiction by researching humans in space-specific confinements and analogous landscapes. With pressurized space suits, freeze-dried food, and Mission Control waiting back at “home,” the photographs attempt to visualize what space travel might be like for the first cosmic explorers. The simulated experience blurs the line between reality and fiction, and this “between space” persuades participants to suspend their disbelief. I am interested in the juxtaposition between the real and fictitious, both among the psychological persuasion and the visuals that cue these kinds of connections. This work references science fiction, but also environmentalism and human futurisms — as we learn more about how we would live in space we also are learning how we can live better here on Earth. The project does not take place solely in one location, but in microcosms and science communities all over the world. I have participated in four simulated missions myself, yielding seven weeks in simulated space travel, and photographed countless others.