Once in a Blue Moon

From late night studying and insomnia to the mystery of a landscape that is 384,400 km away, these projects consider the moon—how all beings look up to see the same spherical glow on a clear night. September’s full moon is known as the Harvest Moon; October belongs to the Hunter; and January is a Wolf. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse crossed North America, an event that only happens once in a blue moon. The elements that make up the human body are made in a star and many have come through more than one supernova. We are stardust.

The first set is a collaboration between artists Tara Cooper and Mengchao Wu from an exhibition at Studio 27 (October–November 2025). This exhibition coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Hunter Moon, both of which fall on October 6, 2025, marking the first full supermoon of the year. Ceramics with smoke-firing, sand-blasting and raku (various sizes), along with blue drawings using gouache.

The second set Moon Shadows (vinyl-cut text & digital print on transparent film) was installed on the E5 Bridge at the University of Waterloo, February–May 2024. The text is by poet Sue Goyette and the images of the moon are compliments of NASA.