2024
Acrylic on structured* paper (artist’s media)
140×100
framed in two frames
In the vast, silent expanse of space, two astronauts drift toward each other, their motions slow and deliberate as they close the gap between them. Their suits, stark white against the blackness of the cosmos, reflect faint glimmers of distant stars. The emptiness around them is immense, a universe that stretches on infinitely in every direction. But in this moment, that distance doesn’t matter. They reach out, arms extended, almost touching, their fingertips just shy of meeting. The space between them is small now, but in the weightlessness of the void, every movement is delicate, fragile. It feels as if the universe itself has paused, waiting for this connection. They are almost hugging, their helmets inches apart, visors reflecting one another. It’s a rare moment of closeness in the cold, isolating vastness of space, where the only sound is their steady, controlled breathing inside the helmets. Though they can’t feel the warmth of the other’s body, there’s a shared sense of presence – an unspoken bond forged by the isolation they both endure. In a place where loneliness can stretch on forever, this proximity feels profound, almost intimate. Their suits keep them safe from the unforgiving environment, but in this brief encounter, they find a connection that transcends the void. The stars may be distant, and the universe endlessly indifferent, but here, between them, in this almost-embrace, they find a fleeting moment of humanity, a reminder that even in the farthest reaches of space, they are not alone.
*Structured paper
The symbolism of papers united together in the context of space-time travel carries deep metaphoric resonance, drawing on themes of connectivity, continuity, and the preservation of knowledge across dimensions. Each individual sheet represents a fragment of reality, experience, or time—when bound together, these pages form a unified narrative that transcends the limitations of space and time. Here’s a more detailed exploration of this concept: individual papers symbolize distinct moments in time or separate dimensions of existence, the binding of these pages represents the connection of these discrete moments into a cohesive whole. The pages unified symbolize how all things, no matter how disparate they may seem, are part of a single, larger structure. A bound set of papers in the context of space-time travel could be seen as a living record of the universe’s history. The metaphor here is that the universe itself is a book, and time travel is a journey through its pages. How fragile human life with each of own inventions can achieve continuity and meaning when placed within the greater context of time, the vulnerability of memory and the preservation of knowledge.