Looking Beyond: An art show to illuminate the beauty of space and spark collective interest

"Normally, diplomacy is not rocket science but today is an exception," said Mattia Ventura, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Italy in Dhaka to start off the one-day art showcase 'Looking Beyond' on 22 December 2022 focusing on scientific exploration and the advancement of satellite technology in identifying the changes on our planet.

Since the 2000s, satellites have been used to monitor changes in our planet and its biodiversity and the effects urbanization has had on our land. Unless we can see how the lands, water bodies, and environment have changed from above it is challenging to understand where we as humans need to focus on for a better lifestyle. Satellites play a crucial role in visually showing us how the planet has changed over the years and this exhibition was a collective platform to encourage and educate the audience.

The exhibition, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation along with the Italian Space Agency and Telespazio/e-Geos, was aimed to not only celebrate the National Day of Space but also highlight the intrinsic beauty of the images captured by satellite. Curated by Filippo Maggia, the exhibition took satellite images from the COSMO-SkyMed Constellation system, one of the most advanced satellites, which uses high-resolution radar sensors to observe the Earth, day and night.

When the satellite images taken by the COSMO-SkyMed system are processed, they reveal a unique kind of beauty and spark interest among its viewers. The perspectives presented in these satellite images show detailed crevices and hypnotise the audience by making each detail visible to the human eye, and prompting us to observe these images to further discovery.

Additionally, the purpose of the COSMO-SkyMed system is to monitor the Earth in case of emergency prevention, strategy, scientific and commercial purposes, provide data to support a variety of applications including risk management, forest and environment protection, natural resource exploration, load management, defence and security, maritime surveillance, food and agriculture management and so on.

The exhibition provided an opportunity for collective and individual reflection on current and urgent topics. These discussions and dialogues are meant to inspire ideas for sustainable development, enthuse the younger generation to play their part in space exploration, and combat the harsh impacts of natural disasters.