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Suited for Space

 

Washington DC, USA 2009 — 2013 Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum




Dimensions: Variable (4x8 ft X-ray composite backing boards)

Media: Industrial Radiographs, Gelatin Silver Prints, Digital Composites

Technical Specs: The full-body images were created using a grid of 15 individual X-ray film sheets,
while smaller parts like the RX-1 arm used 3-sheet composites to show every detail.

Images: Mark Avino and Roland H. Cunningham

Curatorial Team: Amanda Young and Cathleen Lewis

Partnership: Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum






By stripping away the macho image of the space age, Avino and Cunningham show us the true cost of exploration. The suits are no longer just uniforms; they are transparent archives of human effort and ingenuity.

It proves that a person's identity and survival are always more complex than what we see on the surface.















The series reveals the sculptural thinking required for survival.

While the outside of a space suit looks like a simple white puff, the inside is a world of complex engineering.
Beyond the technology, this project is a milestone in how we view history and identity.

Space suits are often seen as knights' armor or macho symbols of power from the Cold War conquest of space. However, these X-rays capture a sense of fragility and vulnerability.

Inside the tough exterior, we find valves and tubes that look like those in a hospital intensive care unit.

This reminds us that the human body is fragile and can only endure the particular conditions of our home planet. Similar to the famous Blue Marble photo of Earth, these images force us to face how much our survival depends on our climate.