Composition
Liz Phillips
April 23rd, 2025
Major: Physics
Genre/Medium: Collage
About the work:
“Composition” is a collage depicting the Psyche spacecraft as it flies over an abstract asteroid. Its title is a reference to the composition of the piece itself, the various materials of the collage, and the composite material of the Psyche asteroid.
The large geometric shapes and flowing curves of the piece were inspired by the art deco movement, with colors inspired by the Psyche mission logo and stained glass. The circular pattern is representative of the asteroid and its large craters, but it can be interpreted however the viewer likes. Psyche’s large solar panel wings stretch from corner-to-corner, with curves emphasizing the motion of the spacecraft as it sails and spins through space.
For this project I collected as much colorful paper as I could from all kinds of sources: magazines, packaging, junk mail, catalogs, flyers. In the spirit of collaboration, I asked all of my friends to contribute something to incorporate. Color gradients are a big part of this piece, which was a fun challenge to create using only solid blocks of color. The sharp and careful cuts of the foreground elements contrast against the loosely ripped paper for the background of space.
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