Analog electronic photography 

Early space missions used analog electronic imaging systems with Vidicon tubes to capture still photographs. These cameras scanned scenes line by line, converting visual data into analog signals for transmission. Image quality was limited by tube sensitivity and the instability of analog transmission, often resulting in noise, distortions, and missing data. While the image capture itself remained analog, later missions began using digital transmission methods, improving reliability and clarity. Analog imaging systems were also used in scientific, industrial, and surveillance contexts, but remained niche due to their cost and complexity. Today, their characteristic flaws have become part of the visual legacy of early machine vision.

Surveyor 3 mosaic
Original vintage NASA photograph
Silver gelatin print
80 x 105 cm
printed in 1966

Strangelove Collection (provenance: Enrique Garcia, NASA).

Strange Surveyor 1 

As part of the exhibition, we documented the floor of our exhibition space using a super high-resolution camera system, which we humorously named Strange Surveyor 1. The resulting series, titled Groundwork, mimics the early space mosaic photographs of missions like Surveyor. Individual images were stitched together into large-scale compositions; the original files reach dimensions of up to eight meters in height. For practical reasons, the prints were produced at a reduced size.