After Spaceship Earth

An expansive look at the contemporary artists confronting, challenging, and reimagining R. Buckminster Fuller's techno-utopianism to envision sustainable futures

Architect and designer R. Buckminster Fuller's (1895–1983) concept of "Spaceship Earth," one of the most powerful metaphors of the twentieth century, imagines our planet as a monumental vehicle sustained by the interdependence of human technologies and natural ecologies. In this book, Eva Díaz explores that metaphor through the work of contemporary artists from around the world who grapple with Fuller's project to promote the equitable distribution of global assets through design, and with the technocratic euphoria of his era.

Beginning with a focus on Fuller's iconic geodesic dome design and moving to the extraplanetary implications of his ideas, Díaz illuminates how artists including John Akomfrah, Mary Mattingly, Trevor Paglen, Jacolby Satterwhite, Hito Steyerl, and many others draw from Fuller's mode of experimental design research to create provocative alternatives to corporate control and surveillance. These artists probe the space "race" and colonization as powerful means to readdress histories of violence and racial inequity. Díaz critiques the ecological costs of technological innovation and the role that techno-utopianism has played in political, economic, gender, and racial domination. Highlighting Afrofuturism, ecofeminism, and new ideas of citizenship, After Spaceship Earth conveys the vital afterlives of Fuller's concept for today's world-builders, posing vital questions of its usefulness and limits.

“After Spaceship Earth offers an original interpretation of the legacy of the 1960s and makes an important contribution to contemporary discussions of climate change and the systemic privilege underlying attempts to explore and colonize outer space.”—Kirsty Robertson, author of Tear Gas Epiphanies: Protest, Culture, Museums

“After Spaceship Earth weaves together history and contemporary art practice, offering a fresh perspective on R. Buckminster Fuller’s work and connecting it to the work of contemporary artists, particularly women and artists of color.”—Hsiao-Yun Chu, author of New Views on R. Buckminster Fuller

“Today’s billionaire space race, technolibertarian futurism, and Anthropocene geoengineering make it essential that we understand the complex and often contradictory legacy of Buckminster Fuller’s Spaceship Earth. Eva Díaz lays out this fascinating history and uncovers deep resonances in contemporary artistic practice in lucid, compelling form.”—T. J. Demos, author of Radical Futurisms: Ecologies of Collapse, Chronopolitics, and Justice-to-Come

Eva Díaz is professor of contemporary art at Pratt Institute.

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