”In the void, a distant speck of light shines upon a small pale blue dot that harbors the most precious resource known to the universe. Life is endlessly complex and ever-evolving as the greatest minds throughout history have pondered its origins and purpose. We now know of two pale dots that exist across the dark waters of the cosmos. Here, if merely by accident, life was given a chance to live and thrive. A several decade-long search finally has yielded answers in the form of an exoplanet called Agrona that lazily orbits an orange star. Complex, organic life exists on this world in a fragile state of equilibrium. Yet, despite the odds, life has found a home in this cradle of the Milky Way and flourishes, possibly even more than on earth.” - The Mania System 2022
STATEMENT
The Mania System is a multimedia art project that combines aspects of astrobiology, astrophysics, chemistry, and zoology all into one. It is a fusion of both art and science that is created to transport the viewer into an alien world that is in the realm of possibility. I am making this work to explore the possibilities and limits of alternative biology. By showing this to an audience I hope to foster a discussion on the relationship of art and science. If confronted with something beyond our physical world, how do we tether it to reality? As an example, If it wasn’t for the efforts of artists, the existence of dinosaurs as living animals would be hard to envision as a reality. I intend to do the same for my alien world.
Agrona has many features that distinguishes it from earth. One of these aspects is the high amount of sulfur present within the planets crust. This unusual as high sulfur content is abnormal in rocky planets closer to their host star under normal planetary formation conditions. Agrona possesses a large iron-sulfur core which is normally seen only in bodies orbiting beyond the frost line in star systems.