Solar System
Seen from below, each planet reveals a different character. This series approaches the South Poles of all eight planets through rug hooking, combining scientific data with imaginative interpretation. Texture, colour, and material become a visual language for planetary character: the stillness of polar ice on Mars, the turbulence of Venus, the remote atmosphere of Uranus.
Each piece begins with sketched outlines on linen burlap, built up through materials chosen for the qualities they carry: wool, silk, and synthetic fibres that create depth, texture, and light. The slow, repetitive process of hooking each loop builds a tactile surface, while shifts in colour and material introduce movement and visual interest.
A shared South Pole perspective runs through the series, grounding each work in a consistent orientation while allowing each planet its own palette, scale, and mood. Viewers are invited to engage with both the science and the beauty of the Solar System.
Note: Further details about each work can be found at the bottom of the page.
More details about the works:
All works, 2017. Hand-cut wool and jersey, sari silk, wool roving, and wool and synthetic yarn on linen. Designed and hooked by Susan Gaby-Trotz.
South Pole of Mercury (detail), 25″ × 19″ MESSENGER spacecraft (NASA), 2011–2015. False-colour topographical map of the planet’s surface generated from MESSENGER data, The Planetary Society showing meteorite impacts and cratered terrain.
South Pole of Venus (detail), 17″ × 16″ Venus Express (European Space Agency), 2007. Visible and Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) imagery shows hot twin vortices at the south pole.
South Pole of Earth, 33″ × 29″ International Space Station. View of Earth’s atmospheric curve, Antarctica, and the Southern Ocean with cloud cover; the tip of South America is visible.
South Pole of Mars (detail), 18″ × 18″ Mars Express, 2015. Frozen water and carbon dioxide appear white; dry riverbeds and iron oxide-rich soil are visible.
South Pole of Jupiter, 27″ × 26″ Cassini spacecraft (NASA), 2000. Polar stereographic colour map constructed from 36 images, showing parallel reddish-brown and white bands, the Great Red Spot, multi-lobed chaotic regions, white ovals, and many small vortices. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
South Pole of Saturn (detail), 28″ × 19″ Cassini spacecraft (NASA), 2004. Near-infrared colour imaging.
South Pole of Uranus and the Milky Way (detail), 32″ × 18″ Voyager 2 spacecraft, 1986. Combined view of the Milky Way (Hubble Space Telescope) and Earth-orbit imagery; Neptune appears in the distance.
South Pole of Neptune, 20″ × 17″ Voyager 2 space probe, 1989. Methane, hydrogen, and helium give the planet its blue colour; Uranus appears in the background.