Event Details
Invited by the EAST2046 Festival, Xu Bing—one of the most influential figures in the global contemporary art scene—will present two documentary films at King’s College London: Xu Bing Tianshu Rocket. (27 min) and Satellite Lake: Cosmic Reflections (17 min).
​
Xu Bing Tianshu Rocketdocuments the entire process from the project’s launch in late 2019 to the maiden launch of an art rocket on February 1, 2021, including an unexpected 0.3-second incident during the launch that left a giant crater and “stardust” on the Gobi Desert, sparking reflections on art, technology, and the unknown.
​
Satellite Lake: Cosmic Reflections—the first stop-motion animation shot in outer space using an expired satellite—tells the story of a lonely “little space man” traveling across the stars, offering a fresh cosmic journey from an extraterrestrial perspective, imbued with warmth, philosophical depth, and a touch of romance.
​
Following the screenings, Xu Bing will join remotely to introduce the Xu Bing Space Art Residency Program—the first artistic satellite program in human history, launched in 2024 and still ongoing. The event will conclude with an in-person conversation between Xu Bing and award-winning documentary director David Sington.
​
This marks the London premiere of both documentaries, presenting a cross-disciplinary dialogue between moving images, art, and space exploration, and offering a unique audio-visual and intellectual experience.