Opening of the Astrotop_X Main Exhibition

On Tuesday, 5 November 2024, at 19:00, the opening of the main exhibition of the Astrotop_X project will take place at the Xcentre in Nova Gorica.

Astrotop_X is part of the official ECoC GO! 2025 programme and is based on the interplay of PostMobility and xMobil projects. This project explores the possibility of plants becoming autonomous protagonists of interstellar travel without human intervention. A space capsule with a karst ecosystem, equipped with sensor technology, analyses the living conditions on exoplanets and raises questions about the interdependence of living beings and the environment.

After this premiere, the capsule will travel in the xMobil art and science laboratory, a solar-powered caravan which, in this project, forms part of the closed-circuit system typical of spacecraft. The capsule will thus be inhabited by various other affected ecosystems, while the telescopes will discover a possible Planet B every day - which, of course, will always be too far away for humans to actually visit. But maybe at least plants will make it there one day?

Planned course of the evening:

• 19:00: opening greetings and speeches by:
  • Marko Rusjan, national secretary at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia,
  • Samo Turel, the mayor of City Municipality of Nova Gorica,
  • Boštjan Golob, the rector of the University of Nova Gorica,
  • Stojan Pelko, Head of Programme of European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica - Gorica,
• 19:15: presentations of the Astrotop_X project from the perspectives of science and art (Doroteja Dolinšek, Andreja Gomboc, Nejc Trampuž, Jože Bavcon, pETER Purg),
• 19:45: exhibition tour and banquet,
• 20:30: stargazing on the staircase platform of the Ed Centre, as this is the time of Jupiter's ascension.

Astrotop_X Group:

• Nejc Trampuž & Dorotea Dolinšek, artists,
• Andreja Gomboc, astronomy (UNG FN),
• pETER Purg, science-art (UNG FH/AU, GO! 2025).

Participants:

• Saptashwa Bhattacharyya, UNG FN,
• Botany: Jože Bavcon and Blanka Ravnjak, Botanical Garden, UL BF,
• Ecology: Peter Trontelj, UL BF,
• Technical solutions: Dmitry Morozov,
• Photography: Gašper Rebernik (UNG AU),
• Graphical design and plant photography: Nejc Trampuž,
• Photography assistant: Jure Gubanc,
• Care for the cave and environment: Temnica Caving Club,
• Astronomical observations: Andrej Guštin, Eduardo Concepción.

Production:
University of Nova Gorica (UNG FN, FH, AU), University of Ljubljana (BF and Botanical Garden UL), Cosmolab Institute

About the project:

While much of the space industry and societal ambitions are focused on finding a planet hospitable to life, a group of artists and scientists in the Astrotop_X project asks: Who or what is (or are) the subject(s) seeking a second home in space, and what defines the factors that characterize the cosmic landscape as landscape ‘B’? The selected ecosystem in the capsule, aided by sensor technology and a computer algorithm, gazes into deep space, sifting through a database of exoplanets to assess where—if anywhere—it might be suitable to relocate in the future. A carefully chosen part of the Karst ecosystem in the Astrotop_X capsule analyzes the potential for living on exoplanets in real-time by monitoring its own temperature and circadian rhythm.

From a botanical perspective, Karst vegetation is undoubtedly already adapted to harsh living conditions; it is accustomed to stress: winter cold, precipitation, drought, sparse soil, overheating of the ground, solar radiation, and the strong bora wind. Similarly, though likely even harsher, would be conditions on an exoplanet. The moral-ecological dilemma: Wouldn’t such a plant that visits or relocates to a foreign planet simply present an invasive species? The technical problem: How could plants survive such a long journey? The possibility of survival in such conditions is also a challenge for researchers, making the selection of plants for the journey the first and possibly most important decision. In addition to living plants, such a capsule could also include a so-called “seed bomb,” patiently awaiting the end of the interstellar journey...