SARAH ROSALENA

Standard Candle

Cotton yarn

45 x 49 inches

2021

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Standard Candle

Silk yarn

65 x 52 inches

2021

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Standard Candle

Silk yarn

54 x 49 inches

2023

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The three works are handwoven from graph data of brightness and dimness of cepheid variable stars used by female "computers" to generate units of measurement to map outer space. The graph data was translated into a weave draft and used on a computerized dobby loom, taking over 100 hours to weave. The stars are a type of “standard candle,” or a celestial body whose light can be used to determine their distance from Earth, now providing a new resolution in labor and computing.

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photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

photo credit: Ian Byers-Gamber

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https://hyperallergic.com/825609/10-art-shows-to-see-in-los-angeles-june-2023/

https://www.lacma.org/lab/project/sarah-rosalena-standard-candle