B-Side of the Moon: Scott Reeder

Working across a variety of mediums, Scott Reeder’s (MI) works offer commentary on contemporary culture, politics, and trends. His public sculptures reference and remix news headlines, while his humorous list-based paintings offer hypothetical book titles, band names, or music genres.

In 2004, Reeder embarked on his largest project to date, a full-length feature film titled Moon Dust. Set in a dystopian, tech-driven future, the narrative focuses on the lives of employees working at Moon World, a lunar resort that has lost clientele to the now more popular destination, planet Mars. Moon World’s dwindling population is in a constant state of ennui. Employees tirelessly work to fulfill the guests’ every whim, providing services such as foot massages through holes in the floor or by serenading guests with dreamy guitar ballads.

Reeder’s keen attention to detail and color defines each room depicted. Each is awash in monochrome pastel hues with features such as a bar tended by a robot, an observational window looking into outer space, and a lounging nook clad with pillows.

Although the film was considered finished in 2014, Reeder never felt it was completed. B-side of the Moonfeatures the sets from scenes that were deleted in the editing process and offers Reeder an opportunity to imagine alternative outcomes for the employees of Moon World. 

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.