Born in 1647 Elisabeth Catherina Koopmann was one of the first female astronomers. In 1663 she arranged a marriage for herself to Johannes Hevelius. Marrying the then famous astronomer enabled Elisabeth to obtain an education and pursue her own interest in astronomy. She worked alongside her husband and when he died organised the publication in 1690 of their jointly compiled catalogue of 1,564 stars and their positions - ‘Prodromus Astronomiae’.

The Things we Find in the Stars depicts the constellations Lacerta, Vulpecula, ‘Canis Venatici’ and the Lynx. Named because it was claimed to be so faint that it could only be seen by someone with the eyes of a lynx. As the viewer moves around the form, the light catches the glass beads causing them to twinkle like the night sky.

TEXT LUCY STRANGER