These NASA images of the comet 3I/ATLAS appeared on my news feed yesterday and I instantly noticed a connection to the perceptual phenomena and artist research I’m doing.
Both seem to make visible what exists beyond normal perception—whether cosmic clouds or retinal after-images.
I’m drawn to the mystery and depth of space and the void.
The incredible light of the stars being refracted into the spheres of various colours.
And the comet acting like a bindu or central point in each image to focus on.
All images of comet 3I/ATLAS from Livescience.com
There’s a likeness to the perceptual art in some of my recent posts:
Reflections & next steps
- There’s something in the use of archive space footage that’s worth exploring for my first plexiglas/acrylic tests, riffing of Jesus Rapael Soto’s early work
- I’m most drawn to these two images below—I think because of their simplicity and uniformity. I find them incredibly beautiful:
- Left: Soto’s “Spirale” producing perceptual dissolution where solid elements appear to dematerialise. I’ve inverted the colours and it’s like a black hole or Taurus field—it feels very energetic.
- Whether intentional or not, this piece successfully conveys the (very hard to describe) experiential, somatic, energetic sensations that I experience in meditation at times.
- I shared my frustrations with my own ‘failing’ re that artist challenge in a previous post, “Exploring my creative medium & feeling stuck.”
- Right: NASA’s image of the 3I/ATLAS comet looks similar to Vasarely’s optical vibration work.
- Love the coloured pixels contrasting with the pitch black background.
- Even looking close up at the centre point of the comet looks like a yantra of sorts!!
- Rather than just drawing or painting the marks I want some sort of system to use. Maybe a geometric system.
- Update: I did some research and it turns out both images use radial gradation to create spatial ambiguity.