Lunar Trails

Lunar Trails is an interactive installation, first commissioned by the Dublin Science Gallery for their GAME exhibition, running from November 2012 to the end of January 2013.

It features a full size arcade cabinet running the vintage 1979 game Lunar Lander. As you play the game, the path that you take is rendered on the wall with a large hanging drawing robot.

The trails build up to produce artworks that are solely created by the game players, and is a reflection of all their individual journeys to the surface of the moon.

In collaboration with mechanical engineer Paul Strotten, designer Val Head, and production manager Becky Stevens.

Special thanks to the BuildBrighton hackspace, the team at the gallery, Sandy Noble, Anna Debenham and Kylie Wilson.

Lunar Trails at the Dublin Science Gallery
Lunar Trails at the Dublin Science Gallery
Lunar Trails at the Dublin Science Gallery

Lunar Trails Flickr set

Media coverage :
FastCo Design
Hackaday
FlowingData
Nerdcore (German)
Polargraph
Prosthetic Knowledge
PBump
The Creators Project
PSFK
Microsiervio (Spanish)
Humanoides.fr (French)

19 replies on “Lunar Trails”

[…] Lunar Trails is an installation, currently at the Science Gallery in Dublin, in which visitors can play a recreation of the classic 1979 arcade game, Lunar Lander. The objective of the game is simple: land your craft safely on the surface of the moon, negotiating the uneven terrain and conserving fuel. It can be tense, and requires some concentration, but the experience is strangely peaceful, in part due to the simple graphics and gameplay. […]