Astra ex Terra reimagines animal substances as vast, cosmic landscapes, where forms echo the appearance of distant galaxies and star-filled skies. What first appears celestial is grounded in the material presence of animal life, collapsing the distance between the universe and the earth. In this shift, the work transforms what is often considered unpleasant into something expansive and unexpectedly beautiful.
The project reflects on the place of animals within a shared universe. Rather than existing as something separate, animal life is presented as part of the same systems we inhabit—connected, interdependent, and increasingly vulnerable.
Extinction remains widely known, yet often pushed to the edges of awareness. Astra ex Terra brings attention back to this quiet detachment, making present what is so easily set aside. The work exists between repulsion and attraction, where what is rejected can also feel strangely compelling, even sacred.
Astra ex Terra began when I first got my dog, Barney. At the time, he was unwell, and a lot of what was coming out of him was unpleasant, messy and difficult to deal with. Instead of only seeing these materials as disgusting or unwanted, I started to wonder whether I could transform something so unpleasant into something beautiful and somewhat sacred. I have always loved space, stars and the universe, and I began to connect that sense of wonder with my love for animals. From this, Astra ex Terra was born. What started from a personal experience with Barney has developed into a wider project about changing perception, finding beauty in what is usually rejected, and recognising animals as part of something much larger than ourselves.
My Story
Exhitbitions
2026
Unveiled, Old Waiting Room, Peckham Rye Station, Peckham, London
2026
Untitled, The Poly, Falmouth, Cornwall
2025
Inscape, The Poly, Falmouth, Cornwall
Collaborations
Shaldon Zoo & Wildlife Trust
Dartmoor Otters and Buckfast Butterflies
Newquay Zoo
The process is completely non-invasive and does not interfere with the animals, their routines, their behaviour or their environment. Materials are only collected after they have naturally been shed or excreted, meaning the animals are not disturbed, handled or placed under any stress for the purpose of creating the work.