One Small Step

This typographic portrait of the Saturn V rocket launch is made up entirely out of key excerpts from the official Apollo 11 Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription, readable from the first spark of ignition down to the final splashdown. Like the mission itself the image is a testament to the technical precision and human vulnerability behind our first journey to the Moon. From the tense countdown of "Liftoff" to the quiet proclamation on Tranquility Base, these words embody the monumental striving to reach beyond our world.

The bold horizontal line emblazoned across the middle is Armstrongs iconic statement THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR (A) MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

Like all of my work, this piece is designed to be read. The excerpts were chosen carefully out of hundreds of pages of radio transcription from the voyage to represent its entire arc. The resulting typography captures not just the iconic moments like Neil Armstrong's first steps and President Nixon's phone call from the Oval Office, but also the deeply human realities of life in space, such as the crew eating chicken stew in zero gravity, using their skills and ingenuity to solve unexpected challenges, coordinating complex navigation tasks and maneuvers, receiving news from home, asking about their families, trusting and joking with each other, and sharing their impressions of the "magnificent ride."

I wish I could include much more of the transcription, which is an incredible historical artifact. For readability purposes, this is nowhere near possible. If anyone is interested in a massive floor-to-ceiling print or larger that could accommodate the entire voyage, I will eagerly create it.

This medium forces the historical dialogue to emit its own brilliant, fiery luminosity, ensuring that the words that made history are the very things that bring the image to light.

For canvas prints, 24 x 36 is the recommended minimum size to ensure readability of the text. Smaller sizes available are readable on media like art paper and metal.