How a giant astronaut ended up on a Memphis studio called Outerspace
On Wednesday, Aug. 21, the astronaut will be relocated to the East Hall of the Renasant Convention Center in Downtown Memphis for the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals' annual conference. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
The title track of his upcoming album is “I’m Sick Because I’m Not From Here.”
Battling an autoimmune disorder, he said he feels like an alien in his own skin, unable to plainly occupy this planet, as the left side of his face remains numb three years after his diagnosis.
As a child, he grew up watching sci-fi movies and reading comic books.
Some of his first dates were at the Pink Palace planetarium.
He would stare up at the stars for hours, contemplating the expanse of the universe. He named his child Nova.
His name is James Dukes, also known as IMAKEMADBEATS. He is a producer, artist and CEO of Unapologetic, described as a “storytelling label and creative agency.”
Currently, a 26-foot inflatable astronaut sits atop his recording studio, Outerspace, as a part of a marketing partnership with the Memphis Museum of Science and History (MoSH).
MoSH hopes to generate buzz for its “Mission: Astronaut” exhibit by installing the colossal space cadet in different locations around the city.
The interactive exhibition, which takes guests through STEM challenges and simulates life as an astronaut in space, debuted June 8. The astronaut had been in the museum’s atrium since then, and it was moved to Outerspace last week.
Dukes has a connection to the museum because he has a business office there. The MoSH team asked if he’d be interested in hosting the astronaut at Outerspace, just down the street.
“It made cosmic sense to us,” said Sheila Noone, MoSH communications manager. “We know how busy a street Central (Avenue) is. People take it to come to us. So we just thought that was such a nice fit.”
Dukes said he was thrilled.
“It was a full circle moment for us,” he said. “Before, we had no signage. We’d talked about building an 8-foot astronaut, made from wood, that would sit in the front yard. But now we’ve got a 26-foot astronaut on top of the building, towering through Midtown. For artists in this city, the biggest missing piece is marketing. Creative installations like this help out dramatically.”
“It takes two to four people to move it,” Noone said, “at least to get it up. Getting it down is a little easier.”
The placement was temporary, however, as after landing on Outerspace for a week, the cadet is on the move again.
On Wednesday, Aug. 21, the astronaut will be relocated to the East Hall of the Renasant Convention Center in Downtown Memphis for the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals' annual conference.
Following the three-day conference, the astronaut will again be relocated.
In the meantime, the MoSH team is still “figuring out the next phase.”
“We’re a science and history museum, and an astronaut is kind of key to our mission,” Noone said. “NASA sent us a replica of a shuttle along with a lot of great things we weren’t expecting, including gloves and an ejection seat. We’ll still have those items up until next May. We feel like there’s going to be a tie to space for a long time for us.”
While Dukes may no longer have an astronaut above his studio, he will still get to perform at the beloved planetarium from his childhood.
On Sept. 21, Dukes will be featured there in the first concert of a series, Midnight Marauder, which centers on performing producers and will feature international acts.
The second performance will take place Nov. 23.
Noone said, “When we realized how good the acoustics were in our planetarium, we thought, ‘Why aren’t we doing more live shows in there?’ It’s a smaller concert venue, but it’s a really fun, intimate show. Artists can get involved in the graphics that are on the ceiling. So it’s just a fun way to experience this museum.”
On Nov. 16, Dukes will headline a laser live show to showcase his new album “Wands” in the same format as the weekly Friday Night Laser Shows, which present live band performances in the AutoZone Sharpe Planetarium and runs through Dec. 20.
”We want to serve all of Memphis, so we definitely want to partner with people like James and make sure people can find out about this great resource for infinity,” Dukes said.
Topics
James Dukes IMAKEMADBEATS MoSH Outerspace Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
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Stevie Paige
Stevie Paige is a graduate of the University of Memphis where she served as managing editor and editor-in-chief of The Daily Helmsman. A native Memphian, born to local musicians, Stevie has written for several regional magazines and news publications and has performed at venues across the city.
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