Daniela Ortiz Correa

“Lost Stars” highlights how much of our night sky we’ve lost due to light pollution. In most cities, only a small fraction of the stars that should be visible can actually be seen. By recreating a sky that responds to the viewer, the work invites people to think about what’s missing, what we’ve normalized, and how our environment shapes what we’re able to observe. The interactive element is designed to make this loss more tangible. Instead of passively looking at a fixed projection, viewers handle a telescope-like device made completely from recycled materials that allows them to look around a digital Toronto night sky. As the device tilts or rotates, the star field shifts accordingly, mimicking the act of scanning the real sky for faint or hidden stars. The motion feels familiar, but the clarity of the stars on-screen is a reminder of how different our actual sky has become.