Pilgrimage of Light @ Grand Canyon
(If you are not familiar with Pilgrimage of Light, it’s recommended that you start viewing here)
After having paid pilgrimages to 12 sites including 10 national parks, this pilgrim has eyed Grand Canyon’s strata, showcasing 1.8 billion years of geology; it was a holy grail for me. The residency with The Grand Canyon Conservancy couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment.
Little did I know that the technique and confidence I’ve developed up to that moment would be thoroughly challenged by Grand Canyon’s sheer scale and the record-breaking harsh winter, together they weakened and interfered with my projections. I had to revamp my process to adapt: I diligently conducted measuring and planning that would arm me with numbers of projection width, distance and bursts of flash, I monitored phases and positions of the moon which can make or break the capturing of images, and I even acquired task-force grade gloves that could keep my fingers functioning in biting cold wind.
Adaptation prevailed. I’ve turned the month-plus residency productive, successfully producing dozens of new images from the rim as well as the bottom of Grand Canyon. The impedance from the challenges gave birth to a spinoff series Spaceship, which are also featured on this page.
None of these would have happened hadn’t the Grand Canyon Conservancy entrusted me with their resources. My residency would have been ground to a halt hadn’t the folks with the Conservancy and the young rangers with National Park Service assisted me by carrying my heavy gears, hiking with me, setting up my projectors, tipping me off with the best vantage points, and cheered me on with kind words. The long roadtrip between Houston and Grand Canyon was made much easier driving with Olive and Marcia. I shouldn’t forget to thank the mules and their rider who relieved me of 50 founds of equipment on the ascent to the rim. I caught the curveball from Grand Canyon, because of the supports.
(Additional note from summer 2024 residency)
I was glad to return to Grand Canyon as an artist in residence alumnus, to continue the unfinished work, this time, under a very different weather condition. This time, I reached Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Canyon. Please scroll to the bottom to view the three pieces produced on this residency and read about this adventure here. Please also view the page for Scenes from The Sims, a new series that I also worked on during this stay.
All projected astronomical images are by NASA/ESA
Grand Canyon Village, NGC 1300 and Arp 273— 300 million-light-year away Arp 273’s light was emitted when the Supai Group formation it’s projected on was deposited, layer by layer. Where we call the Grand Canyon today wouldn’t be a Canyon if the land wasn’t uplifted due to tectonic movement, between 70 to 50 million years ago, when the light of NGC 1300 started its journey to us. Above these, sits Grand Canyon village, whose 100+ year history is merely a 1.5 hour movie in a person’s lifetime. Galaxy images by Galaxy image by NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Hikers' headlight, Saturn, Jupiter and Grand Canyon Village— Hiking up the last 3 miles of Bright Angel Trail requires stamina, and about 1.5 hours, the amount of time for light to travel from Saturn to Earth. The last section of switchbacks are the most strenuous and takes about 45 minutes, while the light from Jupiter makes its dash to Earth. When you attempt the ascent, imaging that you you racing with lights that come from these two giant planets. Planet images by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
James Webb’s NGC 3324 and The South Rim— The light of NGC 3324 captured by James Webb Space Telescope was emitted 7600 years ago, when humans started to transition from the hunter-gatherer days to settlements. Above my 3000 feet wide projection of this nebula is Grand Canyon Village, a modern day human settlement that hosted my artist residency in the house at the very left of the township. Nebula image by NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
Arp 273, a pair of interacting galaxies 300 million light years away, juxtaposed below the 270 millions years old rim of Grand Canyon. Galaxy image by NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
人生草尖露，世事風中塵； 微渺見天命，刹那亦永恆。 式千句筱瀾寫於洛城二零ㄧ三 Lives, brief as dewdrops on grass blade. All deeds, nothing but dust in the wind. See grandeurs of universe in minuscules. Comprehend eternity through a glimpse. Stanza by 陳式千 and calligraphy by Elaine Chen This is my tribute to my family, my Mom who did the calligraphy in Li script and passed away 2 years ago, my brother who wrote the stanza when he was a student of geology, and to my heritage, aptly produced at Chinese New Year, my year of rabbit. Assisted by Grand Canyon ranger Kylie Caesar
NGC 6786, the larger galaxy on the right, is the aggressor that will eventually choke hold LEDA 62876, the smaller galaxy on the left. This intergalactic wrestling is not a live event, it took place 350 million years ago, when the Redwall limestone, on which I projected the galactic show, was about to form from sea creatures' shells. We, in our blink of a life time, are lucky to witness the extraterrestrial image arrived through the vast space and the oceanic formation uplifted and exposed as part of the Grand Canyon. Next to it is the bunk house of Havasupai Garden, where park ranger Kylie Cesar, technician Matt Snider and myself took shelter in harsh weather. The two kind folks assisted me in making this hardest projection I've ever attempted. The equipment, challenged by low temperature and rain, made the effort stomach-ulcer-worthy. Galactic image produced by NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
The Pillar of Creation and the Watchtower. Nebula image by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Before Grand Canyon was carved out by the Colorado River, it was uplifted by tectonic movement, during which the light of NGC 1300 we see today was emitted, some 60 million years ago. Arguably the most spectacular view in the park, the projection was made from the Watchtower overlooking the Desert View. Assisted by Dan Pawlak. Galaxy image by NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Kolb Studio and Saturn— Kolb Studio, founded 1905 by Emery and Ellsworth Kolb, was a photo studio that focused on photographing the Canyon, it's visitors, and has produced documentaries about the brothers' adventure on the Colorado river. It is the only structure that appears below the rim here. Here's my tribute to my predecessors that shared with me fascination on Grand Canyon. Saturn image by NASA
Colorado River and Andromeda Galaxy on Grand Canyon's Vishnu Basement Rock— At the bottom of Grand Canyon, the Vishnu Basement Rock is 1.8 billion years old—over a third of Earth's age. This much of Earth's past wouldn't have been revealed if Colorado didn't carve deep during the past 6 million years. Halfway into Colorado River's slicing effort, Andromeda Galaxy's light captured by Hubble started to beam to us. Two nights ago, I beamed this image to unite the two long lost siblings. Galaxy image by NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Colliding and The Missing— Arp-Madore 417-391, a pair of colliding galaxies 670 million light years away, can't be paired with any exposed strata at Grand Canyon. This is because of a geologic unconformity, when layers of sediments were eroded before newer sediments were deposited. Here at Grand Canyon it's called The Great Unconformity, in which over 200 million years of geologic history is missing. To pin point the unconformity, look to the upper part of the galaxy where the horizontally textured rock meets the rough and random looking rock below it. In a way, the oddities seem to be well matched. Galaxy image by ESA/Hubble & NASA, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, J. Dalcanton
Bright Angel, Cartwheel and Grand Canyon Village— The Bright Angel Shale, the formation I stood on while making this projection, also on the slope at the lower part of the galaxy, is the 500 million years old strata of Grand Canyon. Cartwheel galaxy, at 500 million light years away, sports two unusual rings, both products of galaxy collision. On the rim, you can see artificial lights trying to blend in as stars. On the right it is the cluster from Grand Canyon Village. In the center, the lone light is from Yavapai Geology Museum. Galaxy image by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team
Here is an illustration of where I've been photographing. The red line marks the last bit of Bright Angel Trail that led to Havasupai Garden. The bunkhouse where I stayed is visible at the tip of the arrow. I then hiked to the tip of the flat Bright Angel Shale, to Plateau Point, where I did the projection.
From the Watchtower, Dan and Emily looked on to NGC 6960, a memorial of a supernova. Nebula image by NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team
Out of the window of my spaceship, there is Andromeda— This is the inception of the series Spaceship, in which I portray the astronauts and myself onboard Spaceship Earth.
El Tovar's lobby and star cluster Ruprecht 106
Ranger Kylie and I chart our exploration. Orion Nebula image by NASA, ESA, M. Robberto ( Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team
Some of these astronauts wandered from the far end of our spaceship to join me
My fellow astronauts onboard Spaceship Earth. Saturn is our uninhabitable companion .
Thank you, fellow astronauts, for joining me on my reception.
Pillars of Creation and space wanderers at my reception
Grand Canyon gave me the best send off when this stunning view appeared at the dawn after the storm.
Arp 273 on Coconino Sandstone, below South Rim, Grand Canyon 8/4/2024 Hiking down hundreds of feet below the rim, one would reach the sheer cliff of Coconino Sandstone and travel 280 million year back in geologic time. Projected on it is Arp 273, a pair of tangling galaxies at 300 million light years away. Produced under residency at Grand Canyon Conservancy
Black Hole Sagittarius A* and Bright Angel Bridge 8/7/2024 At the center of our Milky Way galaxy is a massive black hole Sagittarius A*. Event Horizon Telescope captured its photo, which is the 2nd black hole ever being observed. Bright Angel Bridge radiates from the center of the projected black hole, perfectly depicting the jet stream that would shoot out from the axis of a black hole when matters fall into the black hole and cross the point of no return. Produced under residency at Grand Canyon Conservancy
MACS 0416 on Vishnu Schist 8/6/2024 Thousands of galaxies in MACS 0416, a galaxy cluster so far away, the light from it we see today started to travel to us when Earth was a newborn. Through my projection, they are littered on Vishnu Schist, the oldest rock at the very bottom of Grand Canyon. Coincidentally, the light from MACS 0416 traveled for ⅓ of the universe’ age, and Vishnu Schist is also as old as ⅓ of Earth’s age. Produced under residency at Grand Canyon Conservancy