Take Five: Christine Lew

With Show Two: Design open, we talk to exhibiting design students about their work and the inspirations behind it.

In our childhood dreams of life as an astronaut, cliche easily outweighs reality. But for Christine Lew, MA Material Futures, researching astronauts’ recollections result in “Galactic Everyday” her project designing sensory experiences in space.

On his return to Earth, Scott Kelly, a NASA astronaut, said “personally, I’ve learned that nothing feels as amazing as water”. Lew alighted on this, “it struck me that humanness and achieving human comfort in space has been overlooked by science.” Considering the psychological importance of our everyday experiences she began devising systems for space:

“Humanising space needs to be addressed and given attention if humans are to live well in long-term space colonisation and deep space exploration. My position on space travel is neither the picture painted by NASA and SPACEX, nor is it the adventures of Barbarella, it is the grey area of space, the overlooked day-to-day life of humanity that I believe to be import. Why can’t living in space be purposeful and fulfilling but also enjoyable, pleasurable, and sensuous?”

In keeping with her project, we asked Christine to share five earth-bound experiences that she’d miss when in outer space:

1. A major component of my project is addressing water in space. I would definitely miss feeling water around my body: swimming, taking a bath, or feeling rain against my face would be non-existent in space.
2. The smells wafting from a kitchen, bread baking or something frying in a pan.
3. Interacting with animals and observing them in diverse ecosystems.
4. Although there will be new spectacular scenes in space, I would still miss the seasons on Earth, from snow falling to the blooming of Spring.
5. Lastly, I would miss walking among huge crowds of people, hearing the bustling noises of a large metropolitan city and feeling a part of a greater world.

Show Two: Design is open to the public 21-25 June at Central Saint Martins.

More information:

• Degree Shows 2017
• MA Material Futures