The line between walking the Earth and traversing the cosmos is much thinner than we may care to believe. A mere change in angle, the tilt of the head, or simply the way the light is cast can dissolve the boundaries between our terrestrial and ethereal realms. It is at this intersection that Thomas Card created “Eden”, a set of photographic diptychs composed of simple slices of pear and chayote fruits. The fruit begins to glow and shine as Card illuminates them from opposing angles. The first is a backlight. The slices appear to be bathed in an aura of warmth. Almost translucent, the raw and striking physicality radiates through. The details of form and texture are heightened as they uncover the network of veins and pulp that hide within. The second is a harsh frontal light. A bright cool tone conversely washes out the color and shape of the fruits. Pushed beyond the limits of the physical world they now embody an otherworldly quality. Their familiarity slips away and ignites the imagination. While Card’s subject remains constant and unmoved, each slice undergoes a metamorphosis. With the blink of an eye, they have been inevitably altered. Between the beams of Card’s contrasting light, he unveils the foundational and mysterious duality of life. Placed together, allowing the unique qualities of each perspective of light to be heightened by their proximity to the other, viewers become acutely aware of how they react to their surroundings in a cerebral versus a visceral manner. As humans, our relationship to objects can teeter between the emotional and the tangible, each with its own dialogs, memories, and experiences. Through Card’s playful use of fruit, viewers come to reconsider their understanding of the world as they see the hidden dynamism that makes up life itself.