We're all used to seeing pictures of the moon by now: grey open space, craters and a whole load of nothing but that is all about to change. In a few years time there will be a real size cottage standing there as the first building ever on the moon. And it will be in the colour red in keeping with the Swedish tradition to paint buildings red. It will be big enough for somebody to live in should we ever be able (and want) to live on the moon.
House on the Moon
Mikael Genberg is the artist who came up with the idea to put a traditional Swedish cottage on the moon. 'I got the idea in '99 and couldn't let go of it, it was too brilliant!' he says. Now, a number of national space organisations
have come on board and are working to make the project a reality. The project is to be funded by private investors and has a budget of approx. £40 million. Mikael Genberg has been working full time on it since August 2003.Inflatable shell
By tradition cottages in Sweden are built of wood but the moon cottage will be constructed of a very light weight material and be both collapsible and inflatable.
'The cottage is really a machine designed for landing on the moon. The moon-landing-machine will fly "as usual" to the moon and during the journey different scientific experiments will be carried out. Thereafter the machine lands on the moon and is covered by an inflatable shell which will make it look like a detailed house', says Fredrik Bruhn from The Ångström Space Technology Centre (ÅSTC), one of the organisations involved.
The inflatable house will be made from a material that hardens under the influence of ultraviolet light, which comes directly from the sun. 'When our spherical robots roll around the house and film the moon landing machine will actually be inside the house but won't be visible', says Fredrik Bruhn.
Fredrik Bruhn also explains that apart from being a very interesting challenge for (ÅSTC) to develop the inflatable house, the project is also a unique opportunity for them to show off their spherical robot .
So even though this is an art project in Mikael Genberg's mind it is also a big challenge for scientists.
Symbol of humanity
'It's been very exciting so far and it's amazing to think that in 2007/2008 there will be a little single red house on that vast empty surface. It's such a strong symbol for where we are with this green planet that we live on and where we are going'. Mikael Genberg says. 'It's a symbol for Sweden but also for all of humanity'.
The project brief is to create a house, which is as close to a real house, that can be found on earth, as possible. It will be big enough to live in and it will look just like a cottage. 'It has to be a real cottage, not just a model', Mikael Genberg says.
At a later stage there will be copies of the moon house built on earth for people to visit and look at. Mikael Genberg explains that there might also be some sort of projections of what it looks like on the moon, for example of the view from the moon house's windows so that we on earth can get an idea of what it would be like to actually live "up there".
Christmas must-have?
An idea Mikael Genberg has is to sell shares of the house to generate more funds for the project. The idea is to sell 366 nights or shares of the house and even if the share holder won't be able to use it right now maybe his or hers grand or grand, grand children can as the house is likely to stand as it is for ever. 'As there is no atmosphere on the moon, what ever is put there will stay as it is for eternity. It is however important to point out that in order to make a house habitable it has to be buried or protected in some way against the dangerous radiation', Fredrik Bruhn says.
Maybe a share of the first house on the moon is a suitable Christmas present to someone who has everything?
Forms and shapes of cottages
Mikael Genberg uses the shape and form of traditional Swedish cottages in all of his art.
Among other things he has created is "The Woodpecker" a hotel in the form of a tree house in Vasteras park (a small town, where Mikael Genberg also lives, not far from Sweden's capital Stockholm).Another one of his creations is The Utter Inn, which is a cottage on the water surface and a very small hotel under water. 'I've chosen the form of the cottage for my projects because it's such a strong symbol of Sweden. No other countries have the type of cottages we do", he says.
The tradition of painting the houses in Sweden red goes back to the 1600-hundred when city officials in Sweden wanted to recreate the look of the red brick buildnings in continental Europe. At first only the most grand and expensive houses were painted red but towards the end of the 1800-hundreds the custom of painting the buildings red had reached the common man living in the country side. And now it has reached the moon!
