Cultural Considerations WG & GEGSLA webinar – Choreographies of presence: Deconstructing the Lunar Anthropocene

Introduction by Christopher Cokinos
“The Moon is not a fixed, ahistorical entity awaiting discovery; it is a space in continuous becoming—a site of simultaneous, intersecting trajectories that is never finished and never closed. This presentation draws centrally upon Doreen Massey’s reconceptualisation of space. In For Space (Massey, 2005), she posits three foundational propositions: space is the product of interrelations; space is the sphere of the possibility of the existence of
multiplicity (contemporaneous plurality); and space is always under construction… Human presence on the Moon is not merely an inscription upon a surface; it is a relational event that reconfigures the Moon’s ontological status. The “choreography” of this presence is not a script directed by a single author, but an emergent property of multiple actors—robotic missions, legal frameworks, and artistic gestures—intersecting in a space that is continuously being made.” (Ulpia-Elena Botezatu)

Dr. Ulpia-Elena Botezatu holds a PhD in Engineering and an LL.M. in European & International Law, bridging technical expertise with legal and policy acumen in space affairs. She is a Space Policy Officer at the Romanian Space Agency (ROSA) and serves as a Delegate to UN COPUOS, ESA, and EU COM. Her leadership roles include serving as the
former Chair of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee (STSc) of UN COPUOS (2024-2026) and as the current Co-Chair of the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC). Additionally, she acts as the GEGSLA Implementation Support Officer for the Moon Village Association. Drawing on a background in poststructuralist urban studies, Dr. Botezatu’s work focuses on the intersection of space technology and international law, with a keen interest in the cultural, ethical, and spatial dimensions of humanity’s expansion into outer space.