OUR FRAGILE SPACE
Thursday 4 May 2023, 1900BST
VENUE: BIS HQ, London and Online
Following successful exhibitions at Lloyd’s of London, Spaceport Cornwall and soon to be at The Ruins, Coventry Cathedral and the United Nations in Vienna, world-renowned science communicator and space photographer Max Alexander has been invited to speak about his Our Fragile Space – Protecting the Near-Space Environment project at the British Interplanetary Society Headquarters on Thursday 4 May 2023.
Max will explain how his photographs can demonstrate the fragility of space, highlight the increasing threat of space debris and encourage people to do something about it, all set within the benefits that space gives us. His photography captures our complex relationship with the night sky, showing the societal and scientific benefits of space, tensioned with the associated cost to the near-space environment, and the imperative of protecting it for future generations.
Max said, “Given the dramatic growth in both satellite numbers and space debris, I wanted to contribute to the understanding of what is happening in our near-space environment, including the potential loss of the night sky for humanity.”
Through a series of artistic and reportage photographs, and portraiture, Our Fragile Space offers a unique opportunity to see first-hand the impact of the increasing amount of space debris that now crowds our skies following decades of space exploration. The photography exhibition is also a catalyst for wider science communication and engagement, for the public, industry and policymakers. After seeing these images, our relationship with near space will never be the same!
Biography
Max Alexander is an international photographer and creative director. He has been working as an editorial photographer for more than twenty-five years, specialising in science communication. This includes projects and commissions for space agencies, global institutions and book publishers. He has photographed leading scientists, Nobel Prize winners, astronauts and world leaders. Max has had high profile exhibitions at the Royal Albert Hall in London for UK research councils and The Wellcome Trust and on London’s South Bank. Explorers of the Universe was a cornerstone project for the International Year of Astronomy, and Illuminating Atoms was for the International Year of Crystallography. His passion for understanding the universe and making it meaningful to others has motivated him to work in this arena – and he is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. In his work for the UK Space Agency, Max has extensively photographed the British astronaut Tim Peake, including documenting his Soyuz training, and directly provided him with photography training while he was onboard the International Space Station.
You can find out more about Max’s work by visiting his website.
