NAVID BARATY

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a fascination with the cosmos. I would camp in the backyard of my childhood home and look up at the stars and planets through my telescope. That awe and wonder for space, which I believe is innate to our humanity, hasn’t faded one bit as I’ve aged. It led to me combining my passion for space and photography with my Wander Space Probe project.

I decided to frame my project around the idea of an imaginary spacecraft, the Wander Space Probe, traveling throughout the universe and photographing its encounters. In actuality, I’m creating these images by arranging various foods and liquids on top of a photo scanner and then scanning with the lid open. Many of the spherical bodies are made by scanning the bottoms of glasses containing liquids, whereas others are simply made from pancakes. To create nebulas, I use a large tray of liquids. The liquids naturally create the atmospheric swirls when they mix. The same physics at work in the universe are also present on my scanner. The stars and points of light are created by sprinkling spices and other dry ingredients on the scanner glass.

I’d like my Wander project to make people wonder if my fictional creation of a planet or moon or galaxy could actually exist somewhere in the vast, unknown cosmos. It’s my hope that the imaginary explorations of the Wander Space Probe will inspire others about the universe and our place within it.

Planet / moon – pancakes
Background – olive oil, flour, cinnamon, cumin, seasoned salt

Black hole – glass of coffee, soy sauce
Stars – salt, sugar, corn starch, cinnamon

Planet – glass of half & half, water, food coloring
Stars – salt, cinnamon, baking powder

Cat fur, garlic powder, salt, flour, cumin, turmeric

Nebula – coffee, water, half & half, food coloring
Stars – sugar, baking powder

Olive oil, sesame oil, water, cumin, cinnamon, flour

Curry powder, cinnamon, poppy seeds, flour, salt, powdered cheese, cumin

Turmeric, powdered cheese, cumin, cinnamon, baking soda

Nebula – tea, water, half & half, food coloring
Stars – flour, peppercorns

Baking soda, salt, sugar, curry powder, cinnamon

Planet – glass of bourbon, coconut milk, water, soy sauce, food coloring
Stars – salt, flour, cinnamon, curry powder

Olive oil, chalk, baking powder, salt, water

Planet / moons – glasses of half & half, coconut milk, water, food coloring
Stars – salt, cinnamon, baking powder, antacid tablets

Baking soda, curry powder, chalk, salt, sugar, cinnamon

Planet / moon - glasses of half & half, coconut milk, water, food coloring

Potato, coffee, peppercorns, crumbled cookies

Planet – glass of orange juice, cream, red wine, ketchup
Moon - potato
Stars – sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, curry powder

Baking powder, flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon, turmeric, curry powder