PITTSBURGH (PTTP) – The University of Pittsburgh is incorporating a new program called crossing over at Pitt. The goal of this program is to merge two separate fields that are exploring the same research but in their own unique ways. We have seen this come to life with Pitt student Yasmeen Gauri and her artwork displaying Pandora’s Cluster, photographed by professor and researcher Rachel Bezanson.
Yasmeen Gauri is an ambitious student majoring in Pre-Med with a minor in Studio Arts and Chemistry. She has used the knowledge she gained throughout these programs to create an eye-catching piece of art capturing the beauty of a galaxy cluster named Abell 2744, or Pandora’s Cluster for short. This galaxy caught her attention when gazing upon Bezanson’s photographs, when she saw a galaxy resembling a firework, which quickly was nicknamed “Katy Perry” by Gauri. This galaxy contained a black hole, young stars, and vast clouds of gas and dust particles.
When it came time to create her artwork, Yasmeen Gauri and Lenore Thomas, Gauri’s artistic advisor, decided to use intaglio printing to make this project come to life. Then, they suspended these printings from an acrylic sheet to mimic a mobile that would be found hanging in a baby’s nursery.
Together, these three innovative members of the community at Pitt have created a piece of artwork that “encourages consideration of the vastness of the universe and evokes an unsettling feeling of sublime awe” according to an article published to the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Physics and Astronomy website in an article titled “Yasmeen Gauri Wondrous Suspension.”
To view the article published to the Department of Physics and Astronomy, you can visit: https://www.physicsandastronomy.pitt.edu/yasmeen-gauri-wondrous-suspension