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THE MOON
VITAE
The VITAE project first emerged in 2011, driven by Anilore’s profound desire to unite people in the wake of the hate-fueled terrorist attacks in Paris. Her vision was to create a symbol of peace, a powerful celebration of human resilience and connection, coming together around a work of art to dare, to dream together— a guiding thread present in all her works. She collects one million handprints around the world to be digitally engraved on the sculpture. In an increasingly fractured world, she aspired to build a lighthouse for peace
Pencil sketches, VITAE
Pencil sketches, VITAE
Seeking the perfect home for her new piece – an epic, universal setting that could serve as a common ground for all people – she considered the tops of mountain ranges and the deep depths of the ocean, but neither seemed the right fit. Then came an extraordinary proposal: to take this participative sculpture to the moon. While in Washington, DC for an event featuring Les Braves at the embassy, Anilore had a serendipitous encounter with NASA representatives. Their conversations explored the moon from a macro perspective, leading to a shared belief that there can be no life on the moon without art. After returning to Paris, life's synchronicities began to unfold—Anilore repeatedly met key individuals who aligned with this mission, transforming what seemed like a pipe dream into a tangible reality.
Work in progress in Anilore's studio
Work in progress in Anilore's studio
Throughout history, humankind has marveled at, mythologized, and even worshiped the magic of our moon. It steadfastly twinkles and gleams in the sky, never failing to guide us even in the darkest of hours. A beacon of hope and universal symbol of millennia of legends, the omnipresent moon reminds us of the grandeur of our cosmos. It grounds us in the knowledge that while we are individually tiny fractions of our universe, in unity we become something much bigger.
Working with Shaun Whitehead, technical director of the Vitae project
Working with Shaun Whitehead, technical director of the Vitae project
Like a celestial dreamer responding to the moon's ancient rhythms, VITAE embodies the dance between warmth and bitterness, life and stillness. Anilore’s quest for a truly "living" sculpture, free from conventional mechanics, led to an alchemical fusion of materials - the resilient Kapton and the Nitinol, a shape-memory alloy. As lunar days commence a vigorous +150C/302F, VITAE metamorphoses into a protective cocoon, waiting for the cool embrace of darkness. When night's veil descends, plummeting temperatures to -120C/-184F, the sculpture unfurls its mystical arms like a flower greeting the stars. In this nocturnal awakening, VITAE releases its most profound gesture - delicate stems rising upwards, symbolizing humanity reunited under the cosmic expanse, while whispers of human touch emerge in the form of etched handprints upon the Kapton surface. The Nitinol, responsive to these dramatic thermal shifts, orchestrates this ethereal performance, transforming the sculpture into a silent flow of form and memory.
Once the lunar location was set, the project gained support from people worldwide—astrophysicists, scientists, artists, engineers, and designers—all who believed in the vision. Even before VITAE was completed, it had already achieved its ultimate goal: becoming a catalyst for global unification. Anilore's studio, once a place of quiet creation, transformed into a meeting hub for space engineers, all focused on the realization of VITAE.
Prototype in moon materials, caption and nitinol
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Anilore working in her dedicated clean room
On October 30, 2012, a miniature of VITAE made its first journey into the sky aboard a meteorological balloon spaceship, launched by Shawn Whitehead, technical director of the VITAE Project CEO of Thumbsat, a space exploration technology company. The launch took place from Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, where another iconic artwork by Anilore Banon, Les Braves, stands. The miniature - which also bore all the handprints of the team that worked on it - reached the stratosphere, the edge of space. Four years later, in 2017, Thomas Pesquet ESA astronaut carried the experience aboard the International Space Station, and tested the materials for VITAE’s final form and conducted dry runs of the proposed deployment operation, which is planned for the Moon’s surface. The model reached the station aboard the Falcon 9 reusable rocket by SpaceX. Designed to withstand extreme climates, the sculpture is ready for the harshest conditions. That same year, the team began a global initiative to collect one million handprints to be digitally etched onto the sculpture. Handprints were chosen for this project because they symbolize our lifelines—our means of giving and receiving. Over 20,000 years ago, early humans engraved their handprints on cave walls, and today, this ancient gesture is echoed in Vitae, the participatory deployable sculpture designed for space. VITAE connects humanity to its roots, its essence, inviting us simply to be.
Simulation of terrestrial VITAE, photo credit: Gaming Society
VITAE's groundbreaking final installation awaits its historic launch into space. As the project nears completion, its dedicated team stands ready alongside Anilore. Currently, mirror-polished stainless steel sculptures of VITAE rest in Anilore's studio alongside prototypes of the piece, specially designed with lunar materials and preserved in her Moon Boxes that replicate the bidirectional deployment on the moon. Anilore uses these pieces for exhibitions, allowing audiences to experience a preview of VITAE. The final piece will be constructed in a clean room prior to its launch. This ambitious project continues to evolve, bridging humanity's past and future in a symbol of universal unity. To learn more and follow the journey of VITAE, visit vitaeproject.com.
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