Soulstice
Kayla Wardle
Major: Biochemistry
Genre/Medium: Digital Art made with Procreate
About the work: “Soulstice” is a digital art piece made with Procreate. Drawing from both the Greek myth of the goddess Psyche, whom the asteroid is named after, and the history of NASA’s Psyche mission, “Soulstice” plays on the idea of a soul’s journey. I wanted to depict how the story of Psyche searching for love parallels the story of the search and exploration of the Psyche asteroid. The elements of this piece portray a long journey that is not yet complete. In this piece, I used the idea of personifying elements of the asteroid as the goddess Psyche. One of the most unique aspects of the Psyche asteroid is that it is believed to be made up largely of metal. I was inspired by the metal textures of iron meteorites I saw on display at the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City, Utah. These metal textures are incorporated into “Soulstice” and make up the goddess Psyche’s face. The goddess’ face is fragmented and only half-formed because we still are unsure what the Psyche asteroid looks like. Psyche’s hair fades into sketches of magnetic field lines, portraying the possibility of the Psyche asteroid having a magnetic field. Scientific diagrams from NASA’s Psyche mission appear in the background, along with historical symbols representing the asteroid. The diagrams are simple outlines and not fully rendered pictures, representing that the mission is still ongoing. And Psyche gazes up at the stars with longing for something she does not yet have. Despite the seemingly incompleteness, the piece is full of color and ideas, showcasing all that has been accomplished so far and the possibility of the future. Blending elements from Psyche’s mythology, history, and NASA’s Psyche mission, “Soulstice” celebrates scientific progress and illustrates the human soul’s eternal pursuit of discovery and fulfillment.
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