Rotterdam Photo

Tod Kapke

The Astra Syzygy Codex

In response to the pandemic’s upheaval, an age gripped by twin specters—boredom and terror— The Astra Syzygy Codex provided solace with the belief that science fiction, transports us from the Ho-hum, offers escapism and reflects our collective fears.

Finding inspiration from the 1800s Great Moon Hoax, The Codex weaves a myth around the disappearance of hypothetical planets like Vulcan, X, and Tyche. The Codex defies a singular narrative forming a surreal cosmos that shifts and blends multiple perspectives and techniques. I found myself akin to a translator transcribing these alien transmissions.

I_$ Store Dystopia uses multi-exposures to create futuristic dioramas from $ store trinkets. The goal was to use simple shapes to tell complex narratives.

II_Aura Embracing irregularities and accidents in the cyanotype process, these images evoke grainy space transmissions, like an alien probe transmitting snapshots of extraterrestrial pictographs.

III_Celestial Hieroglyphs These photos echo the visual feel of the Arecibo Messages, similar to mysterious coded systems, Data-turned-binary, Yet, these images are created from a child’s toy—a conduit for creating graphic symbols that resemble celestial hieroglyphs.

This project reshapes perception. It unearths hidden symbols in everyday objects and creates
folktales of the future.


Find out more: 

Website: www.tkopix.com

Instagram: @tkopix


Rotterdam Photo

Vierhavensstraat 56, 3029 BG Rotterdam