Ephemeris

by Eric Morgan & Celeste Pimm

 

Ephemeris is an interactive installation that draws constellation in a projected star field by tracking the movement of visitors, creating a living archive of the paths they take. The visual metaphors of constellations and the night sky are representative of creating connections and archiving history. Stars communicate the history of the universe through their light, while also containing the stories and mythology humans have ascribed to them through constellations. The constellations connect not just celestial bodies, but also humans to one another through the stories and history they represent. Our relationship with the stars extends even to the physical level, our bodies made from the same chemical elements.

 

Tracking visitors’ movements and placing them among the stars transforms the star field into an archive of life that has crossed paths with the installation, representing the sharing of matter between our bodies and stars, as well as humanity’s own path continually being written in the stars.

 

The installation itself take the form of a projection onto a mirrored half-sphere that refracts the star field around the space. An overhead camera tracking bodies in the space use their average position to draw connections between stars, forming constellations while they’re within view.

 

The project was developed for CART 412: Project Studio.