The white, star-like forms around it are real, not digitally composited.
Within the womb, a whole universe was unfolding.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Lennart Nilsson
Lennart Nilsson
Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson had an unparalleled career as a renowned scientific photographer and photojournalist. He forged a distinctive path as an educator with a camera, earning the description “a twentieth-century Renaissance man” and comparisons with the universal genius Leonardo da Vinci.
Lennart Nilsson held honorary doctorates in medicine and philosophy, and received a professorial title and gold medals from the government, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
In 1980, he became the first recipient of the Hasselblad International Award and received the title “Master of Photography.” He also received awards from World Press Photo and three Emmy Awards—the television equivalent of the Academy Awards—for his films.
03WE ARE STAR STUFF
We Are Children of the Stars
“The nitrogen in our genes, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood were made inside stars that once collapsed. Our bodies are made entirely of the matter of stars. In the deepest sense, we are children of the stars.”
So said Dr. Carl Sagan, renowned for bringing the science of the cosmos to the public.
Our lives are deeply connected to the universe.
This work portrays the connection between the universe and life on a vast scale, from the macrocosm to the microcosm. It invites children and adults alike to feel the miracle of their own lives.
As AI takes on more and more in the years ahead, how will we affirm our own existence?
Who am I? What gives my life value and meaning? In a society overflowing with information and comparison, there may be times when we lose sight of our own worth.
That is why it matters to meet ourselves as we are, and to feel, through experience, the miracle of our own life coming into being.
Each of us is a precious, irreplaceable being. We believe that truly accepting this for ourselves can help us affirm who we are, and become an essential foundation for living in the years ahead.
To feel the preciousness of life with our own body and heart: that is an experience neither AI nor anyone else can have on our behalf.
Whatever life brings, we can return to the miracle of having been born here. To live without losing ourselves or what matters most, we feel it is important for each of us to have the strength to believe in ourselves.
We decided to create this film because we wanted many people to feel, from the heart, that they are wonderful beings born through the meeting of countless miracles.
Our mission is to bring opportunities to experience the wonder of life to people around the world.
Read how the work began
In the darkness, a warmth I could trust.
On a family visit to a planetarium, Masahiko Hashimoto held his daughter beneath the stars. Even though he could not see her, he felt a warmth that was unquestionably there.
They had met within this universe and were living together. From that realization came the idea for a work that would evoke a mother's womb through the rounded, enveloping space of a dome.
At the heart of LIFE® INOCHI is a wish to give each person an opportunity to feel the irreplaceable value of their own life.
“Nukumori no Kioku” (Memories of Warmth) Recommended as a Child Welfare Cultural Asset by the Social Security Council of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
EXPERIENCE LIFE
Experience LIFE INOCHI
Planetariums, flat-screen and outdoor screenings, orchestra and choir, education and community co-creation.
