Planetary experts say that all the elements in the human body can be found in stars. The different elements in stars combine to create the gas, minerals, and asteroids. It’s incredible to think that complex life forms share the components of our galaxy and beyond.

“Transcendence” connects us to the processes of life—from interstellar creation to the cycle of life and death. The dead bird rising above red poppies in outer space reminds us that everything is connected. The red poppy is an ancient symbol of death and was popularized by John McCrae’s Poem “In Flander’s Field” to commemorate soldiers who died in World War I:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

“Transcendence” is an epitaph to those who have passed, but also a celebration of life. Even though all things pass away, in essence, everything continues eternally because those elements become something new—just like a star becoming you or me.