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Stargazers

‘ The images are also an invitation to find the light of the stars in places one might not always think to look. ’

A collection works made using handmade inks derived from flowers, leaves and plant materials gathered throughout the year from the garden of Rome’s Acatholic Cemetery, as well as collaged photographic images taken on cemetery grounds. The collaged images show details of the lichens that grow across the surface of various headstones, which, to the artist, recall the night sky. As such, they serve to remind of the connection between the ground and the heavens. This body of work was inspired by Marta’s interest in the cyclical rhythms of the natural world, her fascination with organic forms and celestial bodies, the fact that all matter on Earth is said to originate from stardust. It was also inspired by the idea that all those who are laid to rest in this very special corner of the eternal city are forever gazing upwards, towards the stars. The images are also an invitation to find the light of the stars in places one might not always think to look. In creating this body of work, Marta also looked to two texts, one from John Keats’ Endymion, and a Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem,  To A Star.