Since the time when mother earth could no longer support the burden of our existence, mankind migrated and has lived and thrived amongst the numerous moons, space stations, and planetary settlements that have come to dot our little backwater solar system. Its been 32 years from the time the first outpost colony was settled on Mars’s moon of Titan, and then became a hub for mining, outfitting, ship repair and as a way station for settling the outer reaches of the solar system. It is unknown but estimated at around seven to eight hundred million humans now live off world (cite) and with the ruins of the old world now decaying faster than Earth’s former atmosphere,we have been tasked by our responsibility to all of humanity to preserve the world and works of our forefathers to guarantee a world(s) where our offspring will be able to experience the same artistic and cultural backgrounds we had available to us on our former home. Spaceofites (children born off earth) need to have the means to learn (as well as learn from) and be inspired by the art and ideas of our past, this is the first time in human history a generation has been born off the world we originated from and it is imperative we maintain the link to our fallen planet so our successors will not wane in their responsibility to the survival of mankind like we did. it is also just as important for them to see what made earth and the human race so great in the first place, and also to see how far we have progressed since then.<!--more-->

With the preservation of art and culture the foremost on everyone's mind since the recent explosive decompressions of the museum-sphere’s on Titan, Io, and Planet X. (These works are believed to have been carried out by anti-earth radical terrorists factions. These Spaceofite factions believe that all Old Earth content and ideology is blasphemy to a space faring race of spaceofites. Spaceofites disdain anything from Old Earth because they believe it represents the sin and abominations that mankind can become and by experiencing Old Earth ideas will corrupt whoever absorbs them) The Vice-Admiral of the Mars expeditionary fleet has announced that a mid-size transport will be converted for use as an intersystem Museum ship that will travel with the fleet on deployments and orbit or dock with the ports of call, all the while conducting tours and workshops on Old Earth art and culture as well as giving an insight to the historical and technological setting of the times. Once in orbit the facility will be assisted by the navy’s fleet of atmo-shuttles to bring visitors to the museum instead of vice-versa which would damage the fragile artworks in a turbulent atmo burn. This program to refit an ageing Venator Class Inter-system fleet carrier will consist of retrofitting a large exhibition and museum area where the ships maintenance workshops and spacecraft refueling depot were previously located, this new space will measure about 400 x 150 feet and roughly 75 feet tall. The refit will also provide the hull of the ship with a fresh meteorite shields in an ambassadorial color scheme, a large mural of our solar system is being commissioned with all the worlds that belong to the Old Earth Consortium being painted into the work. As the ship arrives from the Mars orbit-yard’s it will then depart for a low Earth orbit while expeditionary crews shuttle back and forth to the surface in order to retrieve works and artifacts to populate the exhibition hall. The general outline of the program for the museum is a follows barring an unforeseen destruction of the work or manpower involved on their recovery.

The exhibition hall will consist of one large full length lower level with three tiers above, each one housing a main work as well as memorabilia and cultural experiences from the time each work was created. Visitors will enter the exhibit from the top tier where they will be greeted by the masterwork of Andrea Palladio, The Four Books on Architecture.

Andrea Palladio (1508 – 1580), an Italian born architect who penned what is considered by some to be one of the greatest volumes ever published on the subject of architecture. I quattro libri dell'architettura (The Four Books of Architecture)(1570) has become the standard repository and reference for classic renaissance design, influencing artists, architects and designers from the 16th century to the present day. The Four Books of Architecture consists of four separately published editions each describing a complete set of rules that define the conception, design and aesthetics of a structure. Along with highly detailed woodcuts emblazoning the cover. This incredibly illustrated tome is further divided into rules and sub-rule sets, governing everything from the placement and shape of walls, roofs, arches, details, site, etc. Once referred to by Thomas Jefferson as “the Bible” (Center for Palladian Studies in America) this book has had more influence on design and architecture than possibly any other book of its period or since, the fact that it is still applicable to the present day is in itself a feat very few printed works of the time can muster, as well as the spawning of a movement entirely based off the published work, Palladianism, the style of Architecture based completely off the rules and illustrations from the The Four Books on Architecture. Preservation of this work is of the utmost importance due to its unique composition and clarity of information that transcends languages timelines and generations.

This work is crucial for the current generation to understand how we create space thru enclosure and how to apply human needs into design intent. In addition to the original on display there will be digital copies available for viewing as well as models of ruins of the ancient Roman empire and of the former American states. This will all occupy the top tier of the exhibition hall and is proposed to be about a third of the size of the main ground floor. To access other levels below the top tier, a stairwell built into the corner of the bay will be utilised.

The second tier will be about half the size of the main floor and will house an exhibit on musical instruments and musical composition with a highlight on renaissance music and the beginnings of the orchestra and concertos. Along the rear wall of this exhibit a series of soundproof practice rooms will be available for the public to experience different instruments while maintaining order in the rest of the exhibit. This musical exhibition will be capped by the display of the ancient score of Primavera, by Antonio Vivaldi.

The Primavera (translated as springtime in italian) is a concerto from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, and just might be one of the most recognized pieces of classical music of the modern day, and whether you know it by name or melody, it has come to epitomise the Baroque style as well as providing insight as to the popular musical taste and technology of the era. Since it’s debut it has become a benchmark not only of baroque music but as well as to what defines a concerto in general, and for this reason it deserves to be preserved for generations to come.

As the visitors travel from the second tier to the lower third tier they will be greeted by a display and timeline of video technology showing the transition from photography to the birth of motion pictures all the way to the float screen technology of today. The timeline and display will be populated with technological examples from the genesis of the medium to the modern day and at the beginning and end of the exhibit there will be a large float screen playing a loop of Muybridge’s work on The Horse in Motion.

Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) is credited by many of have created the first motion picture. His work, The Horse in Motion, or by its original title, (Sallie Gardner at a Gallop) (1878) was the culmination of years of careful study and planning by it’s creator in order to settle a bet between two California gentleman (cite). This groundbreaking piece of early motion picture technology is the root of the family tree by which all modern cinema’s can trace their lineage. Never before had the public been exposed to such undeniable evidence from the visual medium, putting to rest once and for all the question. Do all of a horses hooves leave the ground while running? The Horse in Motion consists of a three second projection of a jockey and a black thoroughbred running down a racetrack, and although this is not terrifyingly groundbreaking by todays standards we would do well to remember that this is the genesis of the movies and television we watch today. It was during the latter part of the nineteenth century as the world’s borders were shrinking from the swell of technology born from the industrial revolution and nearly a decade after the opening of the transcontinental railroad, Muybridge’s work became the turning point for the emerging technologies of film and photography, just as the automobile revolutionised the technology of transportation. The Horse in Motion is one of the most significant films ever produced, on the basis of its importance, and it’s impact to history. This work deserves to be preserved so future generations will have a perspective to their accomplishments by seeing the progress their forebears have made, and having the work play on float screens at the beginning and end of the timeline makes a statement of the technological progress by displaying the genesis of video on the most innovative and advanced video technology of our era. As the guests depart down the corner stairwell they will be greeted by the full size main floor which houses the exhibition on perhaps the greatest work of Old Earth architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright’s, Fallingwater.

Many people were under the impression that Fallingwater was the pinnacle as far as design and aesthetics in the Old Earth sense were concerned, and Frank Lloyd Wright remains one of the twentieth century's greatest and most influential architects, his groundbreaking work Fallingwater. Falling Water broke from the traditional modern designs of the time in that it did not seek to show off modern materials, but instead strove to bring a harmony between them and nature. Mr. Wright always said that he would grow a building from its site and I can say first hand from experiencing his work that it appears to have no other alternative than to have always been there.Wright himself described it as an “extension of the cliff beside a mountain stream, making living space over and above the stream upon several terraces upon which a man who loved the place sincerely, one who liked to listen to the waterfall, might well live.”(Hoffman) “Falling water would complement its site but at the same time compete with the high drama of the falls, the unceasing sound of the crashing water, it would rise as a great machine of the forest. (Hoffman) This was also the first time Wright worked with the material of reinforced concrete which he would have to call upon to create the great spans of cantilevers that would give the house its form. This house has to be maintained and preserved for future generations to see how their forefathers created a harmony between man made structure and nature in a way so as to make the occupant become closer by having it seamlessly make the transition from outdoor to indoor space. This house has untold wisdom emanating from its hollowed stone ledges that must be preserved for our heirs to discover. for such a great work cannot just be replicated or turned into a formula for a style of architecture, no, it is a living entity just like the river it rises over should flow into the future unending and into the mind and the hearts of the future of our once great land. A large model will grace the center of the lower level and the far corner opposite from the stairs will contain select remains of the structure once known as Fallingwater, and the whole main level will be dedicated to the architect and will feature his drawings and ideas on the subject of architecture, here the public will be able to experience the creator and the fragments of this monument to a time lost. For If we can show the current generation the past we are fighting to preserve and not just the mistakes of our forefathers we may be able to prevent our sons and daughters from making the same mistakes we did.

Works Cited

Center for Palladian Studies in America(CPSA). “Palladianism Timeline”
http://www.palladiancenter.org/timeline-Palladianism.html

Center for Palladian Studies in America(CPSA). “Palladio's Literary Predecessors”
http://www.palladiancenter.org/predecessors.html

Center for Palladian Studies in America(CPSA). “Palladio's and his Books”
http://www.palladiancenter.org/palladiobooks.html

Fiero. The Humanistic Tradition Vol 2, 6th ed.

"The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)" Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 October 2012 at 15:10. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.

Kimball, Carol, mezzo-soprano. Song: A Guide to Art Song Style and Literature. Milwaukee, WI. : Hal Leonard, 2006, c2005.

Hoffmann, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. Second ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1978-1993. Print.