From moon gardens and observatory constructions to space extractivism and extraterrestrial design, discussions about our relation to outer space and its orbiting bodies have always been an important matter of interest for architects and designers. If you are able to observe the total solar eclipse on Monday 8 April, you might like to know that the CCA holds a vast collection of material surrounding planetary topics, such as Superstudio’s Autostrada Terra-Luna, Gordon Matta-Clark’s scribbled note The first step on the moon…, sketches for the Observatoire astronomique du Mont-Mégantic or a souvenir from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

How can thinking about space lead to fresh perspectives on earth? The 2010 exhibition Other Space Odysseys explores this question through Greg Lynn’s New City, Michael Maltzan’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Alessandro Poli’s Architettura Interplanetaria. We invite you to read the web articles We Are All Already Astronauts and How to: mind the Moon. You can also follow Buckminster Fuller’s insights in Nine Chains to the Moon and dive into Astrology and Alchemy: Two Fossil Sciences to get prepared for the event.

The solar eclipse coincides with the onset of spring, both opening up an invitation to gather with each other, with the sky, ground, and the celestial sphere. For some, eclipses are a time to go internal—in regeneration and rebirth, while for others it is a time to celebrate the rare spectacle, interplanetary constellations, and astronomical systems.