Hello Cristina de Middel,
“We’re Going to Mars! With a Spacegirl, Two Cats and a Missionary”
-Makuka Nkoloso creator of Zambia’s first (unofficial) Space Program
Untitled from the series Afronauts
In 1964 Makuka Nkoloso a Zambian elementary school science teacher, single-handedly launched the Zambia National Academy of Space Research. Its main goal, in rapid succession, to put the first Africans on the moon. In an earnest attempt, a rocket housing twelve astronauts and ten cats, would be launched into space with the hopes of surpassing both the US and the Soviet Union.
Untitled from the series Afronauts
In a rural makeshift facility, trainees embarked on obstacle courses of fabricated protocol. Aspiring astronauts rolled down hills in old oil drums to simulate weightlessness, and water drills implemented anti-gravity conditioning. Sadly, the mission was indefinitely delayed due to a lack of funding (the $7 million Makuka requested from the United Nations never arrived), and when one of his astronauts, a 17-year-old girl, became unexpectedly pregnant. The mission was abandoned for good.
Untitled from the series Afronauts
Today, Spanish photographer Cristina De Middel‘s series, Afronauts, depicts a fictional documentation of these efforts. The result is a fact-bending, ironically spellbinding, fantastical series of buoyant cats,
Untitled from the series Afronauts
elephant embracing astronauts, wistful daydreamers, playful attire,
Untitled from the series Afronauts
all set against a backdrop of sci-fi laden landscape, reminiscent of a of b-movie film set.
Untitled from the series Afronauts
The series is accompanied by a self-published book, bringing further dimension and narration to the fact bending storyline.
The publication anchors the imagery, fleshing out the series with additional material and ephemera. Replications of vintage photographs, newsprint, and letters, are paired with Cristina’s images, blurring the border between reality and fiction.
The book invites the viewer to question and ponder the authenticity of photography as a document, and how far we can push those boundaries.
“Afronauts is the documentation of an impossible dream that only lives in the pictures,” says De Middel
Cristina De Middel is a freelance photographer based in London. She has worked for numerous newspapers, and NGO´s such as Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross. Recent awards include the Spanish National Photojournalism Award, and a special mention at the FNAC Photographic Talent Competition. In 2011 she was awarded the Humble Arts Women in Photography Project Grant. She has an MA in Fine Arts from University of Valencia, an MA in Photography from University of Oklahoma, and a Postgraduate degree in Photojournalism from Universitat Politécnica de Barcelona, Spain.
From the series Kulunguele
To see more of Cristina De Middel go here: {www.lademiddel.com}
Tags: Wanderlust Aubrey Hays Cristina de Middel
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