An out of this world experience

A photographic artist from Cork is part of the crew for the first civilian mission to the moon planned for 2023.

Rhiannon Adam will blast out of Earth’s atmosphere on a rocket developed by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX on a week-long journey around the moon and back. She will be joined on the spacecraft by 7 other civilians from around the world, each with expertise in a different field. They were selected from over 1 million applicants.

In 2018, Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezewa purchased all the seats aboard the rocket with the intention of giving all of them away to as many talented individuals as possible as part of project dearMoon.

Commenting on her selection for the crew, Rhiannon says she still can’t believe it: “Every day I pinch myself. It seems like an impossible dream coming true. I aim to create work that does justice to this transformative experience.”

In a thank you message to everyone who applied for project dearMoon, Yusaku Maezewa said: “It was heart-warming to hear so many stories from applicants residing in 249 countries and regions who have so much enthusiasm for space. It is unfortunate that I cannot take all of you with me but I look forward to going on this lunar trip with all your challenges and passion close to my heart. I hope for your ongoing support as I continue bringing you updates on the project.”

Rhiannon's work is cantered on research-based, long-form, social documentary projects that make use of analogue photographic processes and archive materials. Her early life experiences have had a lasting influence on her work, with a focus on remote communities, the concept of utopia, and the fine line between fact and fiction.

She has been shortlisted for and won numerous awards, including the Meitar Award for Excellence in Photography, and was named as one of The Photographers’ Gallery’s New Talents in 2019.

Her work has been published widely in the press, including Le Monde, The Telegraph, the BBC, The British Journal of Photography, Stern, Huffington Post, and the New York Times.