Space Travel & Queer Film: Bezos, Musk & Macho Fantasy Critique
Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian revolutionizes space exploration, art, and activism, as revealed in her film “Doppelgängers³”. This documentary critiques the current industry, dominated by figures like Bezos and Musk, advocating for diversity. News Directory 3 explores how Hayoun-Stépanian, a designer, artist, and activist, challenges the norms of space mission design, envisioning a future that is less patriarchal and more inclusive.Discover how she collaborates with NASA and creates tuition-free universities in nightclubs, all while pushing boundaries. Explore the future of space exploration—what does it look like?
Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian: designing Experiences, Challenging Space Exploration
Updated June 02, 2025
Nelly Ben Hayoun-stépanian, a designer of experiences, artist, and activist, operates from a unique London office: a graffiti-covered tube carriage atop a Shoreditch nightclub. surrounded by vibrant posters and props from her films, including a giant foam strawberry, she draws inspiration from figures like Marie Curie and Hannah Arendt.
Ben Hayoun-Stépanian has collaborated with organizations such as NASA, Porsche, Lego, and Nike. She founded the International Space orchestra, comprised of NASA scientists, to foster a counterculture within the agency. The orchestra has performed with artists like Sigur Rós and Beck, encouraging conversations about the purpose and direction of space programs.
Frustrated with customary education, Ben Hayoun-Stépanian established the University of the underground in 2017. This tuition-free institution, operating from nightclub basements, has hosted lecturers such as Pussy Riot and Noam Chomsky. Her latest film,Doppelgängers³,explores the future of space and premiered as part of SXSW.
Her work extends to portrayal,as evidenced by Mattel creating a Barbie doll in her likeness for the I Can Be range.”I was made into a Barbie doll way before the film, way before Barbie was considered cool,” Ben Hayoun-Stépanian said.
Doppelgängers³ challenges the current trajectory of space exploration, dominated by billionaires like Elon musk and Jeff Bezos. Ben Hayoun-Stépanian envisions a future that is less heteronormative and patriarchal. “Space, to me, is not a luxury.it’s not entertainment.It is indeed a critical experiment – the ultimate