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The farther a celestial object is from Earth, the longer it takes for its light to reach us. As such, when we look up at our night sky, we see these objects as they appeared in the past, allowing us to peer into the foundations of our universe and expand our knowledge of its formation. In the same way, paper has long served the comparable function of keeping record of human history.
This booklet compares the role of the night sky as the archival medium of the universe’s history to the role of paper as the archival medium of humanity’s history.
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Cuneiform and Babylonian Star Catalogues
The booklet’s concept is narrated through the use of cuneiform constellation names pulled from ancient Babylonian star catalogues, the earliest systematic records of the stars and their movements. Cuneiform, one of the earliest writing systems, was invented for the express purpose of record-keeping (though it was impressed on clay, not paper), and was also the first writing system used to document the stars.
The Dispersion of Light
Each spread illustrates a different constellation, ordered from start to finish by the distance of the constellation’s brightest star (from the furthest to the closest). The accompanying copy on each spread details key events in human history that occurred in the time period coinciding with the distance of the constellation’s brightest star in light years.
To further emphasize this transition of time and distance, the colors of the paper in the booklet are ordered based on the dispersion of light. The booklet begins with papers colored violet, the slowest color of light, and ends with red, the fastest color of light, aligning with the constellation order in the booklet.
To further emphasize this transition of time and distance, the colors of the paper in the booklet are ordered based on the dispersion of light. The booklet begins with papers colored violet, the slowest color of light, and ends with red, the fastest color of light, aligning with the constellation order in the booklet.