Email from the Moon, The Art Scene, Fiction

Laura:

Well, I said I’d tell you about the lunar arts scene, which mostly means Moon Rats. They’re the ones with the leisure time. The rest of us are either working all out to maximize our limited time here, or exercising to keep our system in shape to go home. When they say We Live Here, they really emphasize the “live.” As in, all parts of the human experience. Except for walking through a U-pick orchard and eating fruit right off the tree, or sitting on the beach watching a sunset, or not worrying that you are one blow-out away from dying a sudden and decompressive death. But I digress.

So, anyway.

Really, you already see a lot of what gets produced up here. All the electronic works get published on Earth immediately. The comic, of course, that’s what the Moon Rats are best known for. Also, novels, animated movies, music, digital artworks, lunar documentaries, yadda, yadda, yadda. Even the color poems get reproduced on Earth. I saw a few before I came up.

That leaves dance. Ya can’t really perform lunar dance in full gravity. Well, they call it dance. I’m not sure what is dance-like about hanging by one foot from the ceiling. It’s more of a combined acrobatic/gymnastic/dance … thing.

I was going to say demonstration, but of course it’s not a demo. It’s more of a dance performance combined with an exercise class. You have to participate. It’s part of the package. The audience is not allowed to sit and watch. Part of the choreographer’s mandate is to come up with moves for us lumps on the ground. I’ve had people sit on my shoulders. I’ve been swept into impromptu waltz steps.

It’s fun, but sort of weird and disorienting. Am I watching? Am I dancing? Am I trying to both at the same time? I suspect the disorientation is part of the point. I’d probably get more out of it if I had a more artistic soul. I mean, I can get confused by dance performances on Earth when I’m just sitting and watching people on stage.

That’s all I’ve got for today. Say hi to Felix for me.

I just reread this. It’s not as us-and-them as I made it sound. There is a range. People are here for days or for years. A few folks live permanently on the moon but not in the tunnels. Being people, they have all kinds of opinions on the viability of different choices. Having said that, there is a bit of a two-camp feeling. It seems you either plan to go back home or you plan to stay and therefore embrace all of what that entails.

Yours from on high,
Liz

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