This body of work takes its title from the fact that we (and every living thing on our planet) come from, and eventually return to, star dust – that is, particles of exploded stars.
Knowing that puts things into perspective.
The science behind it is so vast, so complex, it’s almost too much to comprehend. But hold a fossil or a pebble in your hand – and think of the life it might have lived or the journey it has made – and you’ll begin to understand.
The global crisis caused by the pandemic has, in some way, touched us all. It has brought us back to basics, allowing us to focus on the relationships we build with others, the values we live by and the legacy we might leave behind.
It has given rise to confusion and grief, anger and gratitude, relief and joy.
from stardust to stardust reflects on other moments of intense personal emotion, through small objects associated with those times.
It examines how objects carry history and memory – both personal and collective – and explores how the vocabulary used in relation to museum collections might also be used to describe our own treasured pieces.
It questions why we hold things in safekeeping. While none of the objects appearing in this work are of significant monetary worth, their value and power lie in who or what they represent, and the human values they embody.
Jane Poulton
May 2020
