Astrophotography captures temporary visual accumulations of light, movements, patterns in the universe. Star trails & Aurora are direct forms of time passing.

Human hands express our consciousness & creativity. A handprint on a cave wall, an imprint of being. A tool shaped in our hands for survival, life or death.

Hands can be seen as a symbol for the microcosm of the whole body & for human life. 

This artwork reflects on how we are part of the totality of the universe, time & space. The hand form in this artwork symbolises bringing our awareness to cultivating positive qualities of the human spirit such as gratitude & respect for all that the universe unconditionally provides for us, that inspires us, and gives us hope. 

Like a moment captured, our human physical existence is also temporary, we are organic, but our collective human spirit can transcend time in the form of information, our imprint.

Johanna Qiao Tong - July 2026

From a scientific perspective, astrophotography does not simply capture moments. It records the accumulation of light over time. A star trail is the integrated path of a star’s apparent motion caused by Earth’s rotation. An aurora is the visible consequence of charged particles from the Sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere, producing light at specific wavelengths as atoms are excited and then relax.

In this sense, these images are not snapshots but measurements. They are records of processes unfolding across vast scales of time and space, translated into something we can see.

Human presence operates differently but with a subtle parallel. A handprint, whether on a cave wall or in an artwork, is also a record. It marks a moment of contact, but it also carries forward information about identity, intention, and culture. While our physical existence is brief, the information we leave behind can persist, transmitted across generations.

Both the astrophotographic image and the human imprint remind us that we exist within a continuum. The universe is not static but constantly evolving, and we are part of that ongoing process, observers and participants at once.

Ian Griffin - July 2026