Hanging Galaxy Model

This piece is composed of hundreds of assorted beads individually hung from a frame in the shape of a spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way. The beads at the center are brighter in color, yellows and silvers, whereas the arms gradually cool in color as they arc away from the galaxy's center.

This is one example of the tension between artistic and physical representations of heat with color; in reality, the hottest, brightest stars at the center of the galaxy are bluer than their coolor counterparts. However, we imagine that emotionally warm colors correspond to physical warmth, an impression propped up by the general brightness of the centers of galaxies in astronomical images.