HUBBLE 'WINDOW ON THE UNIVERSE' BY GILES SPARROW RESEARCH

Hubble by Giles Sparrow

The first page of the book which shows an image of the space telescope

Hubble is a book explored and wrote by Giles Sparrow as it entails the work and facts behind space whilst using their own photographs from research through a telescope over a 20 year period, The book overall is just astonishing as it captures the raw complexity of the universe and what lives around us. I found this book after gaining visual inspiration of the photographs taken on bonfire night, I wanted to create links with actual research regarding the images found from the universe. The sentence 'Window on the universe' already gave me the feeling of a surrealist view as I began to imagine looking out of the window and seeing ourselves orbiting around another planet, Before looking into this book I wanted to gain inspiration from the texture shown on the images so that I acknowledge whether the texture on another planet is rough, rigid or maybe even flat and smooth, These are the questions I wanted to answer. Also, I really wanted to exhibit the colours that reflected into the camera as the telescope searched for a breakthrough of what else there might be out there, I want to be astounded by the colours representing a planet or object.



The image on the top right was mind blowing

I began to flick through the book when I became amazed by a particular image which was labelled as the planet 'Saturn' as the picture was shown as primary evidence of what the planet looks like, The background overall is black so the colours on the image really made a dramatic effect in comparison to the universe having light or a more vibrant colour, the foreground colours would not make such an impact this way. The page gives a summary of what the space telescope had found from the planet but I was so intrigued by the image that I wanted to see more of them. Also, The image actually captures a true shape of the planet as the lines separating the colours from one another really curve, Although I was hoping to find texture in which I could re create in experimentation I was too busy looking at the colours. Furthermore, I soon found that this book actually enhances the colours on the images to make them more appearing to the human eye. I have found that from this book the colours do not mix but in fact separate, creating a real defined tone of contrast between the warmth of the colours. The darker, shadowed colours appear to create shade on the outer co ordinates of the circular shaped composition whereas the main jaw dropping colours are created by the brightness and warmth of colours in the middle of the image.  I could apply this to my experimentation by in co operating the use of shadowed colour as a base layer where I could begin to build it up, this will also enhance the effect of texture where layering colour as a wet medium (such as ink mixed with PVA glue that has dried).