SOLENAUT*INNEN

The project SOLENAUT*INNEN combines for the first time worldwide a 360° fulldome with a salt water floating facility. In this “pop-up location”, up to 25 people can simultaneously experience the immersive effect of fulldome space travel (spatial perception of film projections) in a state of weightlessness and deep relaxation. The view of the entire globe from the outside is described by astronauts as an experience that also changes the inner perspective on planet Earth and the humanity living on it. Fundamental characteristics of the Overview Effect are a sense of awe, a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of all life on Earth, and a new appreciation for our environment. This planetary perspective is duplicated in the project and made tangible for visitors. This approach to an actual space experience is made possible by the central element of the project: body-warm, approx. 30% saturated salt water generates buoyancy like in the Dead Sea. Based on this unusually highly concentrated salt brine, the project organizers relate the positioning of the facility, the interior design, as well as the sequence and staging of the experience to the historical salt shipping along the upper Traun River. In reference to the traditional transport of salt by the shipmen, they reinterpret the journey of a salt tiller (Fuderzille): from the furthest valley, the place of salt extraction, to the outside, into the world – and even further, out into space. This interpretation of a salt or culture transport leads over today’s obstacles, and requires accordingly new abilities and technical aids, as well as a new boat form, with which the planetary ship people, the SOLENAUT*INNEN, begin their journey.