Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me

Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me is a study of the life of stars and their material connection to human beings. Our bodies are made up of the same elements as stars: iron in our blood, carbon in our cells, the oxygen we breathe.

Drawing from Carl Sagan’s work, this project explores the meaning of the well-known claim “We are made of star stuff” through the observation of 130 terrestrial materials. Moreover, the author reflects on the illusory nature of photography and suggests that humans don’t own the world, but are inherently and materially part of it.

With the introduction of photography into astronomy, researchers at the Harvard College Observatory observed and classified the spectra of an unprecedented number of stars and, in 1901, astronomer Annie Jump Cannon developed the OBAFGKM stellar classification system, in which O identifies the hottest blue stars and M the coolest red ones.

To help memorise the exact order, the mnemonic phrase “Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me” became widespread, turning, once again, something heavenly into something deeply earthly.