clarissa tossin





These large-scale tapestries were inspired by Tossin’s research into the Moon Agreement, a treaty adopted by the United Nations in 1979. The agreement states that the environment of the Moon and other celestial bodies “should not be disrupted” and declares their natural resources to be the “common heritage of mankind.” In 2015, however, the United States passed a law legalizing space mining by American private companies, allowing companies to profit from sale of resources produced on asteroids, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Many other nations have since passed similar laws allowing mining in space.

In her conversations with aerospace scientists Dr. David Alexander and Dr. David A. Kring, Tossin learned that it is not rare minerals but the Moon’s water ice that holds the greatest mining potential, because it will be crucial for producing hydrogen rocket fuel for NASA’s Artemis program and its planned mission to Mars. Employing the grandeur and significance of tapestries (a medium historically used to signify wealth and prestige) Tossin recreates NASA satellite images of the Moon’s surface, using glittering gold metallic thread to indicate the location of substantial ice deposits.

Commissioned by Rice University Public Art and MFAH Core Program.



The 8th Continent (Shackleton Crater), 2021

Digital loom jacquard tapestry with metallic thread
9 x 5 ft



The 8th Continent (South and North Poles), 2021

Digital loom jacquard tapestry with metallic thread
9 x 5 ft



The 8th Continent (Earth Rising), 2021

Digital loom jacquard tapestry with metallic thread
9 x 5 ft



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