HOMESPUN UNIVERSE:

The Wondrous Work of Anabella Gaposchk

Anabella Gaposchk was a little known nineteenth century astronomer whose fascination with the cosmos evolved into an intense desire to re-create the visions she witnessed in the night sky. Through primal photographic methods...

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The Wondrous Work of Anabella Gaposchk

Anabella Gaposchk was a little known nineteenth century astronomer whose fascination with the cosmos evolved into an intense desire to re-create the visions she witnessed in the night sky. Through primal photographic methods enacted in her kitchen, she stumbled upon a most unusual method to map out the subtlety of the heavens. Pages from her diary detail her extraordinary approach:

August 17,1885—an open star cluster I observed in Sagittarius last night has sprung to life: two and a half tablespoons of baking soda, in free fall, captured on impact from a height of 37 inches.

Through her attentive observations of the cosmos and keen understanding of gravitational forces Gaposchk discovered a delicately intuitive and scientifically sound methodology of astronomical illustration.  She gathered the proper domestic ingredients, took a leap of faith and in this way charted a new course for astral discovery.  Her discovery of the much disputed Bikini Nebulae catapulted her life’s work. Looking back on her life she wrote:

What caused me to undertake this catalogue was the nebulae I discovered in the late spring of 1883 above Omega Canis Major. It held quite the striking resemblance to women’s undergarments.

Contemporary thinkers recognize that she intuited not only the existence of a symmetrical or parallel universe hypothesized in recent String Theories, but also, the actual invention of the Bikini.

  • Deep Sky Locket (powdered sugar)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1913

  • Open Star Cluster in Saggitarius (baking soda)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1903

  • Homespun Universe: The Wondrous Work of Anabella Gaposchk (film still).
    Narrated by Kristian Foden-Vencil and featuring Prudence Roberts.

  • Homespun Universe: The Wondrous Work of Anabella Gaposchk (excerpt).
    Narrated by Kristian Foden-Vencil. Starring Prudence Roberts.

  • Quiet Moon (apricot)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1921

  • The Artifacts of Anabella Gaposchk from the Historical Archives
    (recovered astronomical illustration tools and ingredients)

  • Bikini Nebula (baking soda photogram)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1895

  • Galaxy Field (baking soda)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1912

  • The Artifacts of Anabella Gaposchk from the Historical Archives
    (bank statements revealing anonymous patrons)

  • The Artifacts of Anabella Gaposchk from the Historical Archives
    (letter from the Royal Astronomical Society)

  • Galaxy Field in Centaurus (baking soda)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1919

  • Orange Moon Cycle Day 15 (orange)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1915

  • Merging Stars in Cassiopeia (powdered sugar)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1899

  • M16 Globular Cluster (baking soda, sea salt)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1915

  • RIng Nebula (baking soda)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1918

  • Spectacle Nebula (baking soda)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1922

  • Galaxy Field (baking soda)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1915

  • M19 Globular Cluster (baking soda, sea salt)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1899

  • Mars from its Moon Deimos (plum)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1907

  • Solar Flares (water)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1919

  • Eclipse of 1909 (top view of an apple)
    A. Gaposchk, circa 1910

  • Mini Moon Pendant from the Miniatures Collection
    A. Gaposchk

  • A modest display of the Gaposchk Miniatures, installed upon request at PS122 in New York
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