Psyche Inspired: Gwenan Walker

Institution: University of Southern California

Major: Animation; Human Biology

Psyche Inspired Class: 2022-2023

Reflections on Psyche Inspired

Reflections on Project 1: the origin of spaces

the origin of spaces

gwenan walker

December 21st, 2022

Major: Animation; Human Biology

Genre/Medium: Oil Painting

About the work: This piece was inspired by the classical Renaissance paintings of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, as well as religious works of the same time period. Taking reference from ancient Greek mythology, Psyche and Eros’ love story as the god of love and goddess of the soul have otherworldly implications (even on the ethereal plane), embodying fundamental attributes of humankind and representing a power that even Zeus, the king of the gods, often feared. Their significance in folklore is reflected perfectly in the Psyche asteroid’s significance to space exploration, as NASA’s expedition may provide insight on the nature of our solar system’s formation and all of the planets within it. Psyche’s placement at the center of the piece, encircled by the deities of Greek and Roman mythology that embody the different planets of the solar system, is meant to represent that.

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Reflections on Project 2: Heart and soul

Heart and soul

gwenan walker

March 27th, 2023

Major: Animation; Human Biology

Genre/Medium: Digital (Clip Studio Paint)

About the work: This piece ties directly into the Greek Mythology behind Psyche’s name, similarly to my previous piece. Upon taking on her immortal form, Psyche became the goddess of the soul, with the butterfly becoming both her winged form and the Greek depiction of the human soul itself. Since the Psyche asteroid is believed to be part of the metal core of an ancient planetesimal, I wanted to depict Psyche receiving her gift of the soul from the Earth goddess Gaia, portraying how knowledge of our own core could help inform Psyche’s past.

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Daughter of the air

gwenan walker

July 5th, 2023

Major: Animation; Human Biology

Genre/Medium: Gouache, Watercolor

About the work: Daughter of the Air was meant as a piece that explored Psyche’s mythological story in conjunction with that of Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid, as well as the significance that the structure of the Psyche asteroid has when compared to the earth’s own core. In the original story, the Little Mermaid’s ascension to become human concludes with her transformation into a Daughter of the Air, as a way to earn her soul as a spirit wandering the earth performing good deeds. Since life is believed to have originated from hydrothermal vents that are fueled by the heat from the earth’s core, the ascension of Psyche in this painting is meant to depict humanity’s evolution and ascension into space from the early beginnings of life, coming full circle to explore objects like Psyche that could potentially inform us about the formation of the earth and all that came after.

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The Heart of it all

gwenan walker

July 12th, 2023

Major: Animation; Human Biology

Genre/Medium: Digital; Clip Studio Paint

About the work: This piece is an extension of my previous project, demonstrating how life’s origin in the seas has come full circle as humans explore outer space to learn details of our own planet’s beginnings. Throughout this internship, I’ve been fascinated with the larger implications that the Psyche asteroid can have for the formation of our solar system, and particularly the formation of our own planet’s core. As we as a species begin to explore the further reaches of the solar system more and more, it feels fitting that our discoveries will often lead us back to our own origins, studying the formation of the core that was the source of energy for the first life on earth.

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