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The Canadian team of Project Dorothy sent a 700-gram mannequin to the stratosphere with a hydrogen balloon, and the images captured at an altitude of 35,000 meters show the artwork floating against the curvature of the Earth and the darkness of space.
Project Dorothy, conceived by a Canadian team made up of professionals from the fields of art, science, and engineering, placed a mannequin wrapped in a blue silk cloak in the Earth’s stratosphere this week using a hydrogen weather balloon. The piece, which weighs only 700 grams and carries a radio transmitter in addition to an Insta360 camera, reached an altitude of 35,000 meters and recorded images of its own ghostly silhouette floating against the backdrop of the planet and the cosmic void. This is the artwork that has traveled the farthest from the Earth’s surface on record, and the visual result is so striking that it transforms the relationship between aesthetics, science, and human existence into a single frame.
The project leaders stated that the overlay of the mannequin against the outline of the planet creates an image that goes beyond visual beauty. According to the Dorothy team, the contrast between the fragility of the body represented by the sculpture and the vastness of the Earth, shaped by billions of years of biological processes, serves as a reminder of how small we are in the face of the cosmos and, at the same time, of the collective responsibility we have towards living beings. The statement situates the project at the intersection of contemporary art and philosophical reflection, using the stratosphere as a gallery.
What is the mannequin from Project Dorothy and how did it reach the stratosphere
The sculpture has a humanoid shape and was covered with a blue silk cloak, giving the piece a spectral appearance when recorded against the blackness of space. The mannequin was attached to a weather balloon inflated with hydrogen, a method routinely used by meteorological agencies to send measuring instruments to the upper atmosphere. The difference is that, instead of climate sensors, the payload this time was a work of art accompanied by audiovisual equipment.
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The device that ascended with the mannequin included a radio transmitter for tracking and an Insta360 camera capable of recording in 360 degrees. Weighing a total of 700 grams, the sculpture is so light that, according to the creators, even an accidental collision with a satellite would not cause significant damage. The altitude of 35,000 meters places the mannequin in the stratosphere, a layer of the atmosphere that lies above the clouds and commercial airplane traffic, but below the official boundary of space, set at 100 kilometers high.
The images of the mannequin at 35,000 meters: why they impress so much
The visual record captured by the onboard camera shows the silhouette of the mannequin outlined against two distinct planes: the bluish curvature of the Earth below and the total darkness of the cosmos above. This natural composition, impossible to reproduce in a studio, transforms the piece into one of the most extraordinary images ever produced at the intersection of art and aerospace technology. The silk fabric that envelops the sculpture sways with the movements of the balloon, adding an organic and unpredictable element to the record.
The reaction of those watching the images is often immediate. The mannequin appears to float alone in the void, disconnected from any earthly reference, and the disproportionate scale between the tiny body and the entire planet generates a sense of existential vertigo that the creators deliberately sought. Project Dorothy not only documented the ascent: it transformed each captured frame into a statement about the human condition seen from a perspective that very few people will have in their lifetime.
Art and science united: the philosophy behind the spatial mannequin
The Project Dorothy team grounds its work in an idea that dates back to the Renaissance. According to the creators, until that historical period, art and science walked intertwined, and the ultimate example of this union was Leonardo da Vinci. From the 17th century onward, the scientific revolution formalized knowledge into separate disciplines, and the specialization that followed accelerated technical progress but fragmented the dialogue between the two fields.
The mannequin in the stratosphere is an attempt to reconnect these universes. By placing a sculpture in the same environment where atmospheric research instruments operate, the project blurs the boundary between artistic expression and scientific exploration. The creators argue that, despite centuries of formal separation, art and science have never ceased to reflect each other. The Dorothy Project materializes this conviction in a 700-gram piece that floats where normally only probes, sensors, and measuring balloons exist.
What the mannequin of the Project Dorothy says about humanity’s place in the universe
The official statement from the group summarizes the intention in straightforward terms: the image of the mannequin superimposed on the planet serves as an invitation to reflect on the place we occupy in the cosmos. The contrast between the fragility of the human form represented by the sculpture and the vastness of the Earth, with its billions of years of biological history, evokes both humility and responsibility. We are insignificant in the face of the scale of the universe, but we are also the only known beings capable of creating something like the Dorothy Project and sending it to where no artwork has been before.
The mannequin continues its journey in the stratosphere, subject to the winds and conditions of the upper atmosphere. Its lightness of 700 grams ensures that it poses no risk to satellites or aircraft, and the radio transmitter allows the team to track its position in real-time. When the balloon eventually loses pressure and the piece begins its descent, the mannequin will have fulfilled its mission: to prove that art can exist in the most unlikely places and that looking at the Earth from afar is, perhaps, the best way to truly see it.
And you, what did you feel when seeing a mannequin floating alone in the stratosphere next to the curvature of the Earth? Should art explore space more as a setting? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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