Planetary Observation Kit

After conducting scoping conversations with interdisciplinary researchers involved in Earth observation from across the world, we move from words to materials.

We have created a physical kit to explore the following broad questions: How do satellite images of the Earth become meaningful? What do they make visible and what remains opaque or hard to communicate? How do satellites sensitise or desensitise different publics to Earthly phenomena?

Using a physical kit (sent by post), participants build an "observatory station” from their own satellite images or earth sensing data. The activity is expected to last around 15 minutes.

3 Steps

The kit gives participants all the materials needed to build their own planetary observation station. The activity unfolds in three intuitive steps:

• Identify: Choose one satellite image (provided) or data representation from your work.
• Locate: Place a transparent grid and actor stickers to show who and what matters in your Earth observation practice.
• Perceive: Cut, layer, fold, or filter materials to express what becomes visible, uncertain, or distant.
• 📸 Then document – Take a picture and upload it [More details in the kit]

Onboarding session