The Aerocene Foundation was invited to the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia curated by Hashim Sarkis. Presented as a constellation of stories and Aero(s)cenic journeys, the possibilities for living together—not only with ourselves, but with the geos, bios and cosmos surrounding our web of relations—are told through the myriad of collaborators that make up the Foundation’s international community. Two films — Aerocene, launches at White Sands, NM United States (2016) and Pacha (2020) — are presented together with Museo Aero Solar Reconquista and the Aerocene Backpack.

Some scientists maintain that the Anthropocene, our current epoch that is marked by human impact on biodiversity and climate, may have begun on July 16th 1945, at White Sands (USA), with the detonation of the first atomic bomb. 70 years later, in the exact same location, the Aerocene community conducted a human flight, using only the power of the sun. The fully solar, tethered flight of Aerocene D-OAEC broke several world records by achieving the first, longest and most sustainable, manned flight of its kind—without fossil fuels, solar panels, helium or batteries.

Then, on Jan 25, 2020, 32 world records were set by Aerocene Pacha lifting the message “Water and Life are Worth More than Lithium” by the communities of Salinas Grandes, Jujuy, Argentina. Named after Pacha Mama, the Andean concept that connects what lies below and above the Earth’s surface with the furthest reaches of the cosmos, uniting space and time, the flight united the Aerocene community with the 33 native communities of Salinas Grandes.

The Aerocene Backpack: a portable flight kit enclosing an aerosolar sculpture that floats only with the heat of the sun, without the use of helium, hydrogen, solar panels, batteries or burners, free from fossil fuels. Fully open-source, the Backpack has been borrowed around the world for hundreds of flights.