"Pillars of Salt" by John Wightman 

The Earth is inhabited by nearly 8.7 million species, creating a shared familiarity of flora and fauna. Mars offers the opposite — the removal of the recognizable. How do you find solace when you are missing all the norms of home? In a landscape of an unknown world we can find comfort by building familiarity. As all pioneers explored new ground, they forged their homes in isolated terrain.

The ‘Pillars of Salt’ build familiarity on Mars by showing reverence to the Inuit people. The Inuits were successful because their community created temporary structures that permitted their explorations in the toughest conditions. These 3D printed stations draw on Inuit wisdom with the igloo’s characteristics and offer community on a planet of stark isolation. Beacons of light cast their beams into the sky so that other pioneers know they are not alone.