Janet Biggs started traveling to total solar eclipses after her mother died.
Her mother had dementia and sundowning syndrome, a symptom that can cause increased confusion or agitation in the late afternoon or evening, Biggs said. Her mother “really reversed day for night.”
“In the middle of the night, she’d get dressed for lunch. We’d open the curtains, and it’s pitch black out,” Biggs told Urgent Matter. “Her brain just stopped responding to circadian rhythms.”
“After she died, I thought, if I put myself in the path of totality, when the whole landscape or biome reverses day for night, then I’d find a connection to my mom,” she said.
Two works from that search are now on view in Path of Totality, Biggs’ third solo show at Cristin Tierney Gallery, at 49 Walker Street in Manhattan, through October 24.
The front room holds Eclipse (Antarctica, December 4, 2021), made from 2022 to 2024 after the first total eclipse she traveled to. The main gallery holds Eclipse (Amazon, September 7, 1858), a three-channel video from 2025.
