“Cosmic Origins” Exhibition Run

Photographer and Duke MFA|EDA alumna Cassandra Klos explores humanity's relationship to space, scientific exploration, and the possibility of life beyond Earth in "Cosmic Origins," an exhibition on view at CDS October 22 - January 4, 2026.

HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 9 am - 5 pm.
Friday: 9 am - 4 pm.

Bringing together photographs, artifacts, and ephemera from simulated space missions, the exhibition features work from Klos's long-term project "Mars on Earth," which documents her experiences as an analog astronaut participating in Earth-based simulations designed to replicate the conditions, challenges, and isolation of space exploration.

With pressurized spacesuits, freeze-dried food, robotic companions, and Mission Control waiting back at "home," Klos's photographs visualize what life beyond Earth might look and feel like for the first cosmic explorers. The exhibition also includes spacesuits and materials from Klos's fieldwork, as well as work originally produced for National Geographic that will be exhibited together in the CDS Kreps Gallery for the first time.

Blurring the boundaries between documentary evidence and speculative imagination, "Cosmic Origins" invites visitors to consider not only how humans might live on the Moon or Mars, but also what space exploration can teach us about life on Earth.

More info about the exhibition: https://documentarystudies.duke.edu/upcoming-exhibitions. Organized by CDS in collaboration with Duke University's MFA|EDA program and the Duke SPACE Initiative, with support from Duke's Office of Interdisciplinary Programs.