Artist and vision
Where starlight becomes story.
The astrophotography of Rob Bekker, opening into two directions through time.
Where starlight becomes story.
Echoes from the Lost Light begins with an astronomical photograph captured by Rob Bekker. The image stands at the centre of the project. Around it, two fictional narratives take shape: one set in the past, the other in the future.
The distance estimate used for the photographed object gives those stories their time scale. Something measured opens a space for something imagined. You can spend time with the photograph, follow the research behind its setting, or begin reading in either direction.
It starts with Rob's own photographs.
Rob Bekker is the founder and artist behind EFTLL. His work brings astrophotography, visual design, and storytelling into one project. Every astronomical photograph offered as an EFTLL artwork is an image he has captured himself.
That personal connection to the image gives the project its centre. The finished photograph is a work to look at in its own right, and a starting point for the stories and physical editions that develop around it.
One image. Two imagined worlds.
Past opens into historical fiction. Future opens into speculative fiction. The image holds the present between them, with the object's distance providing the connection to the two story eras.
The stories are there to be read as fiction, with characters, choices, and their own reasons to keep turning the page. The astronomical and historical research supplies context. It does not turn an imagined event into a recorded fact.
A book with two beginnings.
The reversible book concept follows the same idea. One cover begins in the Past; the opposite cover begins in the Future. Both reading directions return conceptually to the present and to the photograph that connects them.
The physical work is part of the creative process: how an image is held, how a page turns, and how two narratives share one object. The details of each finished edition belong with that edition, where you can consider the work as a whole.
Follow the part that draws you in.
Begin with the photographs if you want to look. Follow a story if you want to read. Visit the Journal if you would like a clearer understanding of the sky or a practical idea for your own photography.
You do not need to arrive as an expert. EFTLL gives you several ways to spend time with the same underlying curiosity.
The idea, a little closer
The idea, a little closer
Who photographs the astronomical artworks?
Rob Bekker photographs every astronomical image offered as an EFTLL artwork. The editions do not pair another photographer's work with his stories.
Are both timelines fictional?
Yes. Past is historically grounded fiction, and Future is speculative fiction. The factual Journal and the photographs' provenance have different roles.
How does the object connect to the stories?
The distance estimate used for the object provides the time scale for the Past and Future eras. The project's source notes explain that estimate and any relevant uncertainty.
Where can I follow the work?
Explore the projects and studio notes, or join the free EFTLL letters for a closer look as the work develops.
Begin with a photograph.
Take your time with the image. Then see where its stories lead.