As an artist in residence, Yasmeen Gauri has worked with Lenore Thomas, a professor in the Department of Studio Arts, and Rachel Bezanson, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Gauri has enjoyed picking Bezanson’s brain about the physical phenomena of the universe, especially regarding her recent stunning photographs from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Bezanson’s JWST photographs focus on the galaxy cluster Abell 2744, also known as Pandora’s Cluster. After talking through some of the galactic events captured in the JWST photos, Gauri felt particularly fascinated by one specific galaxy that was photographed plowing through Pandora’s Cluster; this galaxy, which Bezanson playfully nicknamed “Katy Perry” because it looks like a firework in the JWST photos, contains a black hole, many young stars, and hurtling clouds of gas and dust. Gauri depicted these galactic components through intaglio printmaking, suspending them from an acrylic sheet to create a hanging sculpture. In her prints, Gauri sought to abstractly parallel the foreign and beautiful shapes we see in outer space, ultimately creating a piece that mimics the sense of wonder that an infant feels when looking up at a mobile from her crib. While working on this sculpture, Gauri considered how images from JWST evoke feelings of awe and curiosity about our universe and where it came from. This sculpture, in its hanging state, encourages consideration of the vastness of the universe and evokes an unsettling feeling of sublime awe.
Yasmeen Gauri is a printmaker, premedical student, and a candidate for a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies; and minors in studio arts and chemistry. She is also an avid The 1975 fan, an on-and-off yogi, and a Red Hawk chai-tea-latte addict.
Faculty researcher: Rachel Bezanson
Artistic Advisor: Lenore Thomas