Spencer Finch
Moon Dust (Apollo 17)

Moon Dust (Apollo 17)

© 2009 Spencer Finch

Moon Dust (Apollo 17)
Moon Dust (Apollo 17)
ArtistAmerican, born 1962
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Moon Dust (Apollo 17)
Date2009
Made inUnited States
Medium150 light fixtures and 417 incandescent bulbs
Dimensions396 × 342 in. (1005.8 × 868.7 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by contemporary@mfah 2013, the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund, Chris Urbanczyk, with matching funds provided by Chevron, Brad and Leslie Bucher, and Mr. and Mrs. William Shiffick, by exchange
Object number2014.64
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Cafe
On view

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Department
Modern and Contemporary Art
Object Type
DescriptionSpencer Finch’s Moon Dust (Apollo 17) sweeps across the ceiling, an array of lights that offers a poetic meditation on science, nature, and lunar travel. The lights are arranged in fixed configurations that map the molecular structure of actual moon dust gathered in 1972 by Apollo 17, the sixth and final mission in the US lunar landing program. Each light bulb represents one element bonded in the molecules, ranging from helium (smallest) to oxygen (largest). The installation has special resonance for Houston, home of NASA’s Manned Space Program, where the command module of Apollo 17 is preserved today.
ProvenanceThe artist; [James Cohan Gallery, New York, March 2013]; purchased by MFAH, 2014.
Exhibition History"Fare Mondi/Making Worlds," Venice Biennial, June 7–November 22, 2009.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
N.A.
N.A.

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