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Drops of Ink Turning into a World, an ink-wash animation commissioned by the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica (ASIAA), has been on display at Pratt Manhattan Gallery in New York since June 25, 2026. Inspired by the classic “Four Stages of Star Formation” sketches drawn by the late Academician Frank Shu, the animation reinterprets the process of star formation through ink painting and pays tribute to his scientific legacy.

Academician Shu was an internationally renowned astrophysicist whose theory of star formation, developed in the 1980s, remains foundational to the field today. Drops of Ink Turning into a World transforms his scientific illustrations into an ink-wash animation, giving this classic theory a new artistic expression while preserving its scientific substance.

Understanding how stars and planets form remains a central question in astronomy. Gas and dust in interstellar space are drawn together by gravity and collapse to form a protostar. As a result of the rotation of the gas and the influence of interstellar magnetic fields, a protoplanetary disk forms around the protostar, accompanied by jets produced as gas accretes onto it. Despite the complex turbulence within the disk, gas and dust will likely gradually accumulate, eventually forming a system composed of a star and its planets.

While star formation typically takes millions of years, Drops of Ink Turning into a World condenses the process into an animation lasting two and a half minutes. Through expressive ink-wash brushwork, the film presents the celestial phenomena in a form that combines scientific knowledge with artistic beauty.

The curator of Pratt Institute’s Beyond Digital exhibition described the work as “not illustration but interpretation.” The curator added, “Where computational simulations render the cosmos with precision, ink introduces variability, gesture, and imperfection—imbuing planetary formation with a sense of vitality that data alone cannot produce.”

Multimedia ink artist Jung-shan Chang created hundreds of ink paintings by hand for the project. Animator Ruyin Tsai then transformed the paintings into animation and composed the soundtrack. Chang said that the creative process involved deconstructing and recombining numerous elements, turning still images into motion and seeking an aesthetic balance between scientific knowledge and artistic expression. Tsai hopes that, as viewers immerse themselves in the images and music, they may enter a meditative state akin to drifting through space.

Chang, who served for several years as an artist-in-residence at ASIAA, collaborated closely with Tsai on the project. By integrating scientific theory, ink-wash painting, animation, and music, the team has given a classic scientific image a new form while bringing an Eastern-inspired work of science communication to the international stage.

Pratt Manhattan Gallery is located at 144 West 14th Street in Manhattan, New York City. The Beyond Digital exhibition will run through September 5, 2026.

Drops of Ink Turning into a World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHC_vlIgMgg