Psyche Inspired
Visit the Psyche Inspired Showcase April 16-30!
Apply for the Psyche Inspired Gold Class by August 28!
Stargazing / Daydreaming at Night (16 Psyche)
Caitlin Richard
July 7, 2026
Major: BS Biological Sciences (Conservation Biology & Ecology), BS Anthropology
Genre/Medium: Mixed media digital collage using Adobe Photoshop and Blender (long exposure iPhone photography, 3D mockup, printer/scanner noise, digital textures).
About the Work:
This piece is an experiment in real-life observation, digital alteration, and analog editing – playing with noise and feedback while trying to connect with something far away.
It combines iPhone photography, long exposure, 3D-modeled blanket designed after the Psyche mission logo, and distortion from a process of printing and scanning.
The image is intentionally dark and grainy, shaped by low-light conditions and further altered through scanning. The scanner introduces visual noise and feedback that spreads across the composition, creating a star-like effect.
In connection to the Psyche mission, the work honors the challenges of looking toward something distant and not fully known, where meaning is formed through partial information, distortion, and translation across media. This reminds me of the work involved in transmitting and decoding all the important information gathered by, and so essential to, space exploration.
Psyche Inspired Overview
Psyche Inspired is a program that brings undergraduate students from any discipline or major together to share the excitement, innovation, and scientific and engineering content of NASA’s Psyche mission with the public in new ways through artistic and creative works. These works are posted in the gallery above and highlighted on X, Facebook, and Instagram. View the full resolution images in the image gallery. This year’s Psyche Inspired cohort is known as the Platinum Class.
Psyche Inspired was piloted at ASU during the 2017-2018 academic year. The following academic year, Psyche Inspired expanded nationally! The works from each Psyche Inspired cohort are collected in individual downloadable books that tell the story of Psyche through musical scores, sculptures, painting, 3-D models, photography, acrylic art, needlepoint, stop-motion films, mixed media, and more.