We choose to go to the moon, for tea...

MOUSEHAMMER, 2022

tea tins, coat hanger wire, 2 cent pieces, plastic spacemen, sundry metal doo-hickeys, foil, paint, glue, whimsical alt-history newspaper article (A4 in a frame)

40 x 40 x 40 cm

About the artwork…

From the 4 July 1881 edition of the Western Exaggerator:

“In news to hand Tasmanian explorer James “Philosopher” Smith plans to mark the success of his latest enterprise by attempting something that even the Greats of Empire have not. “We choose to go to the Moon” he said “for Tea. Our ship, the ‘TINMAN’, is levitated by virtue of the mineral Cassiterite. The interaction of the diamagnetic properties of the crystal with the Earth’s magnetic field propel the ship. We have discovered that it is strongly activated in the presence of sonic waves, particularly the human voice. Young singer Helen Porter Mitchell (aka Nellie Melba) has agreed to join the grand adventure. An ancient proverb says ‘The path to Heaven passes through a teapot’” Smith continued “In our case we will pass through the Heavens for a cup of “the brown”. This trip will surely prove to the World that Tasmania has the right stuff”

About the artist…

mousehammer is a northern tasmanian artist working in steampunk retro-futurist nonsense. computer meddled-photography, bits of text, bricolage and the machinery of a past that never was.