The Color of Memory: Lunar Calendars

In the third section of this series of work, “The Color of Memory: Lunar Calendars,” I study depictions of lunar phases by fracturing the white moonlight into its component colors. Lunar calendars are depictions of the changing phases of the moon, and a lunar phase is determined by the portion of the moon illuminated by the sun from the perspective of the earth’s surface. The source imagery for “Lunar Calendars” is appropriated from space agencies around the world. The act of appropriation from publicly funded organizations, like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), reinforces universal ownership of the celestial object orbiting the earth. “Lunar Calendars” creates vibrant depictions of the moon by creating distortions within the relationships between the various color channels of each of the moon’s phases. The eight lunar phases of the moon are New moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and finally Waning Crescent. Lunar events in this series can include eclipses and other depictions of the lunar phase cycle. When viewing this work through red/cyan anaglyph glasses, the colors play exciting tricks on your vision. Through the use of appropriated lunar calendars, depictions of the lunar phases and lunar events, such as the lunar eclipse, this work examines our constructed relationship to the earth’s moon. The ideas for this work originated with a visit to the McDonalds Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas. While at the observatory, I was invited to attend a discussion about the moon from the Observatory’s astronomers and view the moon in detail. I became intrigued by this celestial object, and the idea of how similar the experiences of earth’s inhabitants have to the moon. Each Lunar Calendar in this section is appropriated and then layered over its self through the red, green, & blue channels creating varying hues based on the different Lunar Phases and their alignment with one another. My act of appropriation from publicly funded institutions hopes to question our ownership of the celestial object. Each of the images overlays multiple phases of the moon through the various color channels. I feel that Lunar Calendars brings awareness to the majestic luminance of this object, which has had such a significant effect on the development of the earth and the human race.