1992-1996 (1999) Mars trilogy

Discuss the Mars trilogy (1992-1996) and the companion volume The Martians (1999)

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Ted Le Swer - Wed, 10/02/2019 - 10:06

Hi Kim,

I am an artist who lives and works in London, United Kingdom. My art practice focuses on moving image and sculpture. 

I am currently researching for a new work, which is titled Space Mongers. This is going to be a short film that will be filmed in Sutherland, Scotland. Where a partnership of UK space agency, Orbit and LockheedMartin are building the first European SpacePort, to launch small scale satellites from. 

The film is exploring how we arrive to perceptions of place and our relations to its ecology.  By looking into the past cultural histories and speculated futures of Space, Space Mongers, investigates how specific Private Corporate Bodies mediate our understanding of locations. By deconstructing these mediators, Space Mongers will examine the responsibility and power that mediation holds in altering collective relations. In doing, Space Mongers hopes to explore the ecological other of Space and considers how this newly tangible location should be processed and orientated within ecological thought. 

The film is going to be shot in one single take of 39 minutes - the length of time in the timeslip, so well articulated in your Mars Trilogy. The film is going to be set within this space and time.

I'm interested in exploring the conceptual context of the moment of the timeslip- for want of a better cliche- where time stands still. Within your literature, the timeslip appears to occupy the time and space as a wonderful abstract construct, I was wondering if you could share any insight into your thought on this time and what the TimeSlip means for you as a concept and construct. 

Thank you in advance for reading this email.

All my best,

Ted Le Swer

https://tedleswer.org/

Alakazar - Tue, 06/04/2019 - 03:18

Hey everyone! 

Just finished the Mars trilogy. Can your boy stop punctuating every chapter with a stereotype about Arabs?

As an arab myself, I'm tired of every white person (wherever they stands on the political spectrum) giving their unsollicited two cents about my people.

I'm equally irritated at both positive stereotypes (ahah the arabs seem like savages but once you get to know them you might be surprised) to negative ones (ahah the women staying in the kitchen ohlala...). It doesn't produce any kind of relfexion or observation. It's just sport for white people. I say that because for every arab or POC of color who intervenes on a forum to say what I just said there is a torrent of negative reactions from white ppl getting irritated at any mention of racism. So at the end of the day, by doing this, your boy just created a bone for racist dogs to chew at at the expense of arabs.

This, in itself, is a form of cultural imperialism.  Please tell you boy to shut the F up. Thanks

albinoflea - Mon, 07/12/2010 - 10:59

Not sure if you're familiar with NASA's World Wind; it's similar to Google Earth. One of the users created an add-on that shows many of the features discussed in the Trilogy:

http://worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Add-on:Mars_landmarks_%28fictional%29

Kimon - Sun, 08/14/2011 - 12:51

Yes, the space elevator concept was not invented by Robinson and has been around for some time!

It was first used in fiction by Arthur C Clarke, in "The Fountains of Paradise"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountains_of_Paradise[/url]

Check out this annual conference:
[url]http://spaceelevatorconference.org/default.aspx[/url]

And yes, it's extremely cool -- and the obvious way forward!

Kimon - Mon, 07/09/2012 - 16:00

There are a few. There's the Mars Initiative: http://themarsinitiative.org/
The Planetary Society: http://www.planetary.org/
New Mars: http://www.newmars.com/
The Mars Society: http://www.marssociety.org/
And check out Space X's Elon Musk too: http://www.academicearth.org/lectures/opportunities-in-space-mars-oasis/

Kimon - Mon, 10/01/2012 - 01:16

Knowing Jackie's character, it seems natural for her to single out *female* body mutilation, most likely forced upon them by men, rather than bodily mutilation in general -- I don't think a character's words have to be taken as KSR's opinions always.

On religious freedom being enshrined in the Dorsa Brevia document, I'm guessing there must be an article or clause stating that self-determination over one self takes precedence over all else, including religious freedom. I would have to check the Dorsa Brevia and the Mars Constitution to make sure.

Kimon - Mon, 10/01/2012 - 01:40

I remember a lot of power going to women in Blue Mars, mainly due to the Dorsa Brevia Group and Jackie. I don't remember that necessarily "most" decisions went to women, however I would have to check.

KSR has mentioned woman empowerment (and widespread access to contraception) as perhaps the best way towards social justice and battling climate change, so this is something he talks about often. But apart from the Mars trilogy I don't remember him writing about how it would come about in other works -- it's just there, naturally! There's a lot about gender in 2312, and in the short story "Sexual Dimorphism" (The Martians); there's some of it from the evolutionary psychology point of view in the "Science in the Capital" troligy too.

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