Psyche Inspired: "Psyche and the Lamp"

The third of my works for Psyche Inspired, an internship with NASA's Psyche Mission. Psyche and the Lamp depicts a reimagining of Psyche's mythological betrayal of Eros. Here, the god Eros is replaced with a spinning 16 Psyche, and instead of an act of betrayal, the soon-to-be goddess Psyche is engaging in an act of self-discovery. Psyche’s curiosity reflects the curiosity of humanity as a whole as we attempt to discover our own planet’s core—its soul, if you will—by exploring 16 Psyche, the possible core of a planetesimal.

“Psyche and the Lamp” references a wide variety of ancient Greek and Greek-inspired art. I 3D printed 16 Psyche with white filament to evoke the marble statuary of ancient Greece. The goddess Psyche’s pose is derived from Archaic and Classical-period vase paintings and from the pose of Psyche in John Wood’s Neoclassical painting “Psyche Enamored of Cupid.” She wears a short mantle called a himation and a shawl called an epiblēma over her chiton dress, which are garments found on many Archaic-period korai (female votive statues). Her cap, earring, and wavy hair are also elements found on some korai from the Athenian Acropolis. The rendering of her facial features is inspired by statuary from the Classical period. Finally, the folds on the bottom of her dress evoke the wings of a butterfly, her iconographic symbol.

You can learn more about the Psyche mission and Psyche Inspired at https://psyche.asu.edu/.