Dumbarton artist's work to be stored on moon in unique out-of-this-world project

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A talented Dumbarton artist’s work is going to be launched into space and stored on the moon as part of an out-of-this world project.

Lewis Deeney is thrilled to be involved in the Lunar Codex initiative, which is made up of four different time capsules, filled with digital versions of art from Earth.

The work of 30,000 artists, writers, film-makers and musicians from 157 countries will be included.

It’s hoped the project will become a long-lasting record of human creativity that future generations can look at and enjoy.

The former pupil at Dumbarton Academy explained how his involvement in the exciting project came about.

He said: “This summer I exhibited in the USA for the first time as part of a group show called Interplay Geometric Abstraction at 33 Contemporary Gallery in West Palm Beach, Florida.

“The curator got the show involved in The Lunar Codex Project. Essentially what it is, is a digital archive of over 30,000 creatives from around the world who are getting their work digitally archived.

“The archive will be sent and stored on the moon as a time capsule for future humans or perhaps aliens!

“If humans manage to blow ourselves up and we revisit the moon in hundreds of years, they’ll find this archive and then find my painting on it, alongside around 30,000 other contemporary artists.”

Lewis, whose work became the highest displayed painting in the UK earlier this year when it reached the summit of Ben Nevis, said he had to re-read an email he received about it when he first saw it.

He said: “Sergio, the curator of 33 Contemporary Gallery where I was exhibiting emailed us all telling us about exciting news dropping the next day.

“I was intrigued but didn’t think about it all that much to be honest and certainly didn’t expect this.

“I had to read the email twice to make sense of it.

“I was thinking ‘is he talking about the real moon?’.

“I find space fascinating, and I’m constantly mesmerised by developments in space exploration and never anticipated my painting would be involved in it. I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

The painting Lewis has submitted was created in 2021 and is called Awakening II from his Chaos & Order Collection.

Chaos refers to the expressive abstraction and Order refers to the geometric structure, and the idea is the foundational philosophy of his painting practice.

He explained: “It was also my first collection of paintings created using my unique creative process that begins with a sketch, which is later digitised and refined before being laser cut to create a series of interlocking, geometric shapes that are painted and finally composed back together.

“The pre-cut shapes capture the high-energy abstraction of my painting which is brought into balance by the precise geometric shapes.

“Conceptually the painting is inspired by the mandala, a universal geometric symbol that radiates outwards from a central point, expressed with incredible diversity among countless ancient and contemporary cultures.

“Yet despite its variety of expressions its underlying philosophy has been consistent, symbolising the interconnected unity of all life and a balance between opposites.

“Visually and conceptually, it continues to inspire me.

“Using the mandala as an underlying structure, I create my geometric composition, breaking away from the traditional radial symmetry of mandala, I select areas of symmetry within the painting yet overall, it is asymmetric.

“This creates a dynamic composition as our mind fills in the gaps of what it believes to be there, completing the mandala in the mind of the viewer.”

Lewis is personally hoping aliens one day find it, adding: “I hope aliens find it. I’d love to hear their thoughts on it.

“The artwork included is non-objective, meaning there is no subject in the painting, it’s entirely abstract and doesn’t refer to anything from the physical world.

“If geometry really is universal, then an off-planet species would have a connection to it.

“I mean if they’ve found this archive on our moon, they must have incredibly advanced technology and therefor a deep understanding of geometry to create it.

“Whether they like it or not or even have an understanding of art is a different question.

“If I get an email from an alien I’ll let you know!”

Lewis will be showcasing his work at an immersive art exhibition opening in Glasgow this weekend on December 7 and 8.

The multi-sensory experience combines paintings, lights, projections and mirrors, creating an otherworldly experience that feels like stepping into one of his abstract, geometric paintings.

It takes place at Saltspace Gallery, Axiom Building, Floor 2, 54 Washington Street.

The exhibition is from 2pm to 6pm on Saturday, December 7 and 11am to 4pm on Sunday, December 8.

Entry is free.

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