Inside the Editorial Space: Works Acquired by Hearst

New works inspired by NASA pioneers Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson explore narrative, representation, and the construction of cultural memory within Hearst’s London offices.

Installation view at Hearst London.

Two of my works, inspired by NASA pioneers Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson, have recently been acquired for Hearst’s London offices as part of a wider curatorial project. Hearst is one of the world’s leading media companies, publishing titles such as Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, and Cosmopolitan, making it an environment shaped by storytelling, image-making, and cultural influence.

Both works centre on women whose contributions were critical to the advancement of space exploration, yet historically under-recognised. Created using cyanotype on handmade paper and finished with 24-carat gold leaf, the pieces bring together photographic, illustrated, and scientific elements to construct layered portraits. Each element operates symbolically, referencing aspects of their work, environment, and legacy, building narratives through accumulation rather than a single fixed image.

The subjects themselves are significant. Mary Jackson, NASA’s first Black female engineer, and Katherine Johnson, whose calculations were essential to early space missions, represent a legacy of intellectual rigour and perseverance. Their stories feel particularly relevant today, as NASA’s Artemis programme continues to expand representation across both its crews and the teams behind them, with a growing presence of women across mission leadership and control.

What makes the placement especially fitting is the parallel between the work and the environment it now sits within. Editors, writers, and image-makers at Hearst are constantly engaged in shaping how stories are told, selecting what is seen, and constructing narratives that reach a global audience. My practice operates in a similar way, building images through selection, layering, and reconstruction, where meaning is developed through multiple perspectives rather than a single, fixed view.

The Future of the Engineering Sisterhood
Original cyanotype, handmade paper, 24-carat gold leaf

Through its magazines, Hearst has long played a role in amplifying women’s stories, shaping cultural conversations around identity, ambition, and representation. These works extend that dialogue, focusing on women whose contributions have historically existed outside the dominant narrative, and re-situating them within a contemporary visual context.

In a fast-paced, digital media environment, the physicality of handmade paper, cyanotype, and gold leaf introduces a slower, more deliberate way of seeing, reinforcing ideas of authorship, process, and attention.

Placed within this context, the works do not simply reflect the space. They mirror its function. Both operate through the careful construction of narrative, the shaping of perspective, and the ongoing act of deciding what is seen, remembered, and given value.

Visit Motive’s Hearst project page to see the finished project.