Bettina Forget – Exoplanet Zoo

Exoplanet Zoo proposes to create a taxonomy of exoplanets in sculptural form with the use of 3D printing technology. To create the collection of exoplanet prints, data sets associated with exoplanets were integrated into the source code of a 3D model of a plain sphere, generating a variety of exoplanet “species.” The exoplanet’s data sets include information regarding the planet’s size, mass, inclination, distance from host star, rotation period, atmospheric composition, etc. The menagerie of sculptures makes the variances and characters of exoplanet tangible, and explore a variety of new classification options.

Bettina Forget is a visual artist, gallery owner, art educator, and researcher living and working in Montreal. Bettina’s creative work a focuses on space sciences, inspired by her avid engagement with amateur astronomy. She has exhibited her artwork in the USA, Canada, Germany, Iceland, Singapore, and Nicaragua.
Since 2016 Bettina is the art/science researcher for the SETI Institute’s Artist-in-Residence program. In this capacity she investigates idea translation between collaborating artists and scientists, and investigates different models of knowing.
She is currently pursuing a PhD in Art Education at Concordia University, Canada. Her research project examines the recontextualization of art and science, and how women and girls may connect to STEM subjects through MakerEducation.