One of the primary themes in Sharon Harper’s “Moon Studies and Star Scratches” series is the concept of time: time on earth, such as the monthly cycle of the moon, and time in the grand scale of the universe, which is much less fathomable. Using a single sheet of film, Harper photographs the moon over a period of time and takes extended exposures of stars, which form lines of light as they move across the sky. Moon Studies and Star Scratches, No. 19—created in Fairbanks, Alaska, on March 28 and 29, 2007—combines six exposures ranging from fifteen minutes to one hour in length. The fact that light from even the closest stars takes years to reach the earth adds another aspect to the complexities of the concept of time. Harper has stated, “These images are an attempt to record a realm we can hardly fathom, within a framework of time we can readily understand.”

Label from Looking Out and Looking In: A Selection of Contemporary Photography, January 19–June 9, 2013