A strange, subterranean night skyscape created by throngs of bioluminescent glowworms (Arachnocampa Luminosa) on the ceiling of river caves in New Zealand. To enter a cave itself is to experience the peripheral—the liminality between earth and sky; interior and exterior; light and dark. It’s in this interstitial space where glowworms shine. Residing just beyond the boundary where sunlight fades into blackness, these insects begin to glow immediately upon hatching all the way through their “imago”—also called the imaginal stage—where they reach full maturity. The stunning starscapes they create are as alluring as they are deadly. During their larval stage, each glowworm spins up to 30 silk threads, each punctuated by small sticky droplets, which dangle downward from the cave ceiling. As other insects instinctually ascend to the ‘stars’, they become ensnared. The glowworms then reel in their prey, devouring them alive. As we aren’t meant to see in the dark, these images are made through long-term exposure without a tripod—embracing the disorientation and lack of focus we experience as we fumble through the darkness.

Luciforms

2017 North Island, New Zealand

Long-term exposures illuminated by celestial bodies and subterranean glow worms, envisioning the night sky as an extension of our environment teeming with stars that are just as bioluminescent as that of living organisms on Earth.

The Milky Way

A strange, subterranean night skyscape created by throngs of bioluminescent glowworms (Arachnocampa Luminosa) on the ceiling of river caves in New Zealand. To enter a cave itself is to experience the peripheral—the liminality between earth and sky; interior and exterior; light and dark. It’s in this interstitial space where glowworms shine. Residing just beyond the boundary where sunlight fades into blackness, these insects begin to glow immediately upon hatching all the way through their “imago”—also called the imaginal stage—where they reach full maturity. The stunning starscapes they create are as alluring as they are deadly. During their larval stage, each glowworm spins up to 30 silk threads, each punctuated by small sticky droplets, which dangle downward from the cave ceiling. As other insects instinctually ascend to the ‘stars’, they become ensnared. The glowworms then reel in their prey, devouring them alive. As we aren’t meant to see in the dark, these images are made through long-term exposure without a tripod—embracing the disorientation and lack of focus we experience as we fumble through the darkness.

A strange, subterranean night skyscape created by throngs of bioluminescent glowworms (Arachnocampa Luminosa) on the ceiling of river caves in New Zealand. To enter a cave itself is to experience the peripheral—the liminality between earth and sky; interior and exterior; light and dark. It’s in this interstitial space where glowworms shine. Residing just beyond the boundary where sunlight fades into blackness, these insects begin to glow immediately upon hatching all the way through their “imago”—also called the imaginal stage—where they reach full maturity. The stunning starscapes they create are as alluring as they are deadly. During their larval stage, each glowworm spins up to 30 silk threads, each punctuated by small sticky droplets, which dangle downward from the cave ceiling. As other insects instinctually ascend to the ‘stars’, they become ensnared. The glowworms then reel in their prey, devouring them alive. As we aren’t meant to see in the dark, these images are made through long-term exposure without a tripod—embracing the disorientation and lack of focus we experience as we fumble through the darkness.

A blurry night skyscape depicting phosphenes in all the colors of the stars.

A strange, subterranean night skyscape created by throngs of bioluminescent glowworms (Arachnocampa Luminosa) on the ceiling of river caves in New Zealand. To enter a cave itself is to experience the peripheral—the liminality between earth and sky; interior and exterior; light and dark. It’s in this interstitial space where glowworms shine. Residing just beyond the boundary where sunlight fades into blackness, these insects begin to glow immediately upon hatching all the way through their “imago”—also called the imaginal stage—where they reach full maturity. The stunning starscapes they create are as alluring as they are deadly. During their larval stage, each glowworm spins up to 30 silk threads, each punctuated by small sticky droplets, which dangle downward from the cave ceiling. As other insects instinctually ascend to the ‘stars’, they become ensnared. The glowworms then reel in their prey, devouring them alive. As we aren’t meant to see in the dark, these images are made through long-term exposure without a tripod—embracing the disorientation and lack of focus we experience as we fumble through the darkness.

A strange, subterranean night skyscape created by throngs of bioluminescent glowworms (Arachnocampa Luminosa) on the ceiling of river caves in New Zealand. To enter a cave itself is to experience the peripheral—the liminality between earth and sky; interior and exterior; light and dark. It’s in this interstitial space where glowworms shine. Residing just beyond the boundary where sunlight fades into blackness, these insects begin to glow immediately upon hatching all the way through their “imago”—also called the imaginal stage—where they reach full maturity. The stunning starscapes they create are as alluring as they are deadly. During their larval stage, each glowworm spins up to 30 silk threads, each punctuated by small sticky droplets, which dangle downward from the cave ceiling. As other insects instinctually ascend to the ‘stars’, they become ensnared. The glowworms then reel in their prey, devouring them alive. As we aren’t meant to see in the dark, these images are made through long-term exposure without a tripod—embracing the disorientation and lack of focus we experience as we fumble through the darkness.

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