By Darren Marsh
[Manchester, England]: Darren Marsh, 2023. Edition of 12.
30 pages; Dimensions 15cm x 15cm x 15cm, Unfolded 18cm x 18cm x 18cm. Polyhedron . Materials: Canon Chromalife 100+ Inkjet print on 120gsm paper; Archival PVA. Mapping images accredited to IAU and Sky & Telescope. Creative Commons By 3.0. Edited in Adobe Photoshop.
Darren Marsh: “’We came from the Stars’ is a star shaped polyhedron constructed from a star chart mapped across 30 individual pages. Each page has been duplex printed then folded into an origami boat which may be opened and read. Collectively all pages can be opened to form a second celestial object.
"Stars are the birthplace of nearly every known element in the universe and essential to all life on earth. Most of the elements in our bodies were formed in stars over the course of billions of years.
“The idea we came from the stars is also rooted in many human cultures and civilisations. At different places and at different times humans have divided and organised celestial objects to create their own unique constellation cultures. Stories once held in the sky, inspired by myth, legend and cultural belief.
“Celestial wayfaring or steering by the stars is a method of determining one’s position on earth based on observations of astronomical bodies in the night sky. Fifty-eight stars across thirty-eight constellations hold a special status in the field of celestial navigation; stars that once guided us safely across earth’s oceans and seas, predicted events such as seasons and tides and connected us with the world around us.
“Books and stars both tell their stories. We are all looking at the same sky — just with different filters."