A sculpture of the Psyche asteroid hangs on a wall blue wall. The sculpture is made out of wood and black circular nail caps, which form two large craters. The nail caps also form Psyche's ridges and shadows.

The Metal Asteroid

Mikayla Hymanson

January 22, 2021

Major: Graphic Design

Genre/Medium: nails, nail caps, plywood

About the work: “The Metal Asteroid” is a sculpture of Psyche that is composed of nails and nail caps. The 3 ft. tall sculpture is meant to represent how Psyche might look. Because Psyche is hypothesized to be likely largely made out of metal, I used a variety of metal nails to mimic this proposed composition. The circular nail caps were arranged to form Psyche’s most notable features and shadows. Using pointillism techniques, “The Metal Asteroid” can be viewed as abstract from up close or from afar, where the nail caps come together to form a complete view of the asteroid. To get the full effect of the sculpture, it is mocked up as hanging on a wall.

Date Added: 01-22-2021
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Mikayla Hymanson - Psyche Inspired

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