The Ailanthus Constellation

Rooted in her background in astronomy and physics, Sonia Redfern maps the geometry of the cosmos directly onto the organic growth of familiar flora. Vibrant green leaves and clusters of delicate white blossoms reach upward on vivid red stems, contrasted against a heavily textured black background. Redfern paints dark, five-pointed stars directly into the foliage, linking them with rigid black lines to form a constellation across the plant’s surface. By charting celestial patterns over terrestrial life, she physically bridges the vast scale of space with the immediate, tactile reality of our environment to visualize our shared existence on this small planet.