NOT ALONE

What if humans have already made it to another planet?

This is one question that drove my imagination for this work. I imagine that somewhere, intelligent life may not be so different from what we have here on Earth, for better or worse. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more readily available in our everyday lives, my project NOT ALONE is a collaboration between AI and photography. Hypothesis such as Panspermia suggest that maybe the octopus came to Earth as a seed, and inspiration by the Netflix documentary "My Octopus Teacher" (highly recommended) and reading numerous tales about how hilariously intelligent the octopus is, I wanted to imagine a world where there is both familiarity and some weird and wonderful ideas.

The locations of these images vary from Lossiemouth beaches to Birmingham, where I worked with Special Effects Makeup Artists Black Diamond Creations.

Introduction: Greetings of many suns and moons to you, Earth-kind. We are of those who wander among the cosmos, and in our wandering, we chanced upon your Voyager, a vessel bearing the Golden Records. Intrigued by these artifacts, we have discerned your languages and your sounds, and now return our reflections and stories. Page 2

 Journey through the Portal: In our vast wanderings, we came upon a scene of convergence, where the fabric of the cosmos folds and pathways open. Behold, captured in the essence of time, a craft of your Earth-kind—a Jet fighter, as you call it—soaring towards a rupture in the clouds. This rupture, a celestial tear shaped by the hands of cosmic forces, serves as a gateway, a portal bridging distant worlds. It is here that your kind first emerged, not as visitors, but as new dwellers of our shared home among the stars. Page 4 

First Steps onto the Alien Planet: As the Earth-craft soared towards the celestial rupture, journeying through the cosmic veil, the narrative shifts to a vista of profound tranquility and enigma. Nestled in the still waters, a time-worn stone rises under the celestial dance of starlight and aurora's shimmer. Carved by the relentless craft of ages, its core gleams—a beacon within, akin to a portal on our sphere. This naturally sculpted arch, aglow with inviting radiance, stands as a silent sentinel at the thresholds of our world’s deeper mysteries. Here, upon this luminescent threshold, the initial Earth-sojourner emerged, soon to encounter a being as cryptic as the land itself. Page 6 

The Treacherous Alien Landscape: To the beings of Earth, we convey the nature of our home, a world both vast and vibrant, yet fraught with challenge. While our settlements are but specks scattered across the colossal canvas of our planet, the expanse beyond is a realm of untamed wilds. It teems with life in forms unimaginable— creatures of scale and shadow that roam the land, sea, and sky. These beings, some luminescent, others hidden in darkness, represent the myriad faces of survival in our harsh environments. The sheer immensity of our world, with its deep

valleys and high peaks, supports ecosystems both wondrous and perilous. Thus, while we navigate and inhabit these spaces, we remain ever mindful of the delicate balance between being a spectator and a participant in this grand, relentless theater of existence. Page 8. 

The Sacred VagiVerse: When the rings align, their light filters through this aperture, scattering stardust and creating a bridge of spectral luminescence that joins our world to the heavens. To witness the VagiVerse is to watch the universe breathe—a slow, rhythmic pulse of light that reminds every soul of the delicate dance between the chaos of the cosmos and the silent, enduring strength of our planet. To us, this is not just a place of beauty, but a sacred space where we contemplate the infinite, where we understand our smallness in the universe and our interconnectedness to all things. It is a natural altar where many come to reflect, to dream, and to reach out to the stars from which we once came. Page 10. 

The First Encounter: Upon the human's traversal through the cosmic breach, the first encounter was not with the unknown, but with the oddly familiar. There stood a being, mirroring the Earth's own kind— a form resembling your female, yet adorned in the hues of our world, her skin a vibrant orange. This was not mere chance but a harmonious intent of our people, a manifestation of 'shapeshifting,' as you term it. Crafted to comfort and communicate, her presence was an overture of friendship, a gentle hand extended to guide the newly arrived Earth-wanderer into the fold of our interstellar family. Page 12.

Integrating into Alien Society: The first Earth-born to join us embraced the vibrant tapestry of our customs with zeal. The concepts he brought—monogamy and religion—were novelties in our kaleidoscopic culture. Such singular devotion to another or to a creed is uncharted among us, where connections are as numerous as stars in the sky, and beliefs as diverse as the cosmos itself. Our visitor adapted with eager enthusiasm to our ways, which are unbound by the strictures of exclusivity or dogma. With each cycle of our moons, he wove himself more deeply into the fabric of our society, finding joy in the rich diversity and celebratory freedom that characterises our planetary ethos. It was a blending of worlds, an interstellar dance of customs and revelry, where the human spirit found a new rhythm in the cosmic melody of our home. Page 14.

The Curious Culinary Ritual: Ah, the curious incident of the human culinary ritual—a moment etched in the annals of our shared chronicles with bewilderment and a dash of cosmic mirth. When the initial Earth-kind sought to impart the arcane art of "cooking," a mystifying endeavor involving the exposure of sustenance to intense thermal energies, we observed, baffled and luminous. Why would any conscious form elect to warp the essence of flavors with such fervent flames when the bounty of stellar matter is ours to savor directly? Such thoughts rippled through the neural nets of our many-eyed ones as we beheld this puzzling ritual of seasoning, searing, and simmering—a synesthetic symphony of mystique and meaning. And yet, despite the opacity of this Earthly contrivance, we revered the ritualistic fervor in the human’s marrow, even as they stood awestruck before our ways of direct cosmic ingestion. An encounter so bewildering it left us scratching our sensory tendrils in nebulous mystification, but one that deepened our appreciation for the boundless curiosities of Earthly phenomena. Page 16.

Bonds Across Worlds: In the sequential unfolding of our shared chronicle, two images lie side by side, depicting the burgeoning camaraderie between the first Earth-man and Threxlinar—a denizen of our realm. As it appears, the essence of youthful jest transcends the boundaries of worlds. Engaged in the playful rites of male bonding, they revel in the universal game of comparison and competition. "Look," they seem to say, "our differences are but surface deep." Here, displayed in jest, is the proof that joy and brotherhood are not bound by the soil from which one springs, but are a universal language, spoken fluently across the cosmos. Page 17.

Replicating the Human Car: Upon deciphering the human concept of locomotion, we turned our many-hued attention to what they call a "car," an apparatus of terrestrial conveyance that traverses the solid ground on rotating circular constructs known as "wheels." The notion intrigued us, with its quaint blend of metal and fire, and so we sought to replicate this device as a tribute to their ingenuity. Our engineers crafted a vehicle that adhered to these Earthly specifications—four rubberized spheres beneath a metallic shell propelled by explosions of combustible material. By our cosmic standards, the contraption seemed charmingly primitive, with its reliance on crude fuels and gravity-bound navigation. Our own systems, capable of transcending space-time on currents of dark energy, made the car’s lack of levitation appear archaic, a relic of a distant epoch. Yet, we reveled in its nostalgic simplicity, delighting in the way it rumbled across the planetary surface with a gentle purr. To us, it became an amusing pastime, a way to embrace the joy of movement in the slow, deliberate way that the humans cherish. Thus, our cosmic voyagers would occasionally indulge in a jaunt across the terrain, navigating the roadways with a reverent nod to Earth's automotive legacy—a playful salute to the ingenuity that propels your kind ever forward. Page 20.

Women Pilots: Behold yet another tableau where our commonalities are joyously unveiled. Among us, as among you, the women steer their paths—literally and figuratively. They pilot crafts of incredible intricacy and power, navigating through the star-lit mazes of our skies with grace and precision. This revelation, captured in the vibrant essence of our shared visual dialogue, celebrates the spirited independence and skill of our female pilots. It is a testament to the universal spirit of exploration and freedom that knows no planetary bounds. Page 22.

Communal Gathering Culture: Across the expanse of our worlds, the custom of communal respite thrives vibrantly. In our own establishments, akin to your bars or pubs, our kin gather under the glow of nebula-lit lanterns to partake in the ritual of relaxation. Here, our people engage in the universal act of unfurling their tendrils—an expression akin to your 'letting your hair down.' It is a time when the formalities of daily roles are loosened, like the undoing of a tightly wound coil, allowing the spirit to expand in laughter and libation. These moments, steeped in the brews of our planet, foster bonds and dissolve the weight of worldly duties. Page 24. 

Boundaries in Intimacy: In the mosaic of our desires, we draw no lines between species; hearts are free to wander among the constellations of affinity. Yet, this boundless exploration is navigated with a mutual understanding of boundaries, a celestial pact respected by Earth-kind and alien nation alike. Choices are as revered as the ancient stars, and each being’s orbit is honoured. Just as planets align in respectful distance, so too do we acknowledge the space and orbits of individual wills. In the grand dance of cosmic connection, every entity is an autonomous world, each preference a law unto itself. Page 26.

Shape and Grow: Our species has long surpassed the limitations of the physical form that your Earth-kind knows. Through eons of meticulous evolution and the mastery of our biotechnological arts, we’ve attained a state where the body is but a canvas of potential, shaped and nurtured by the needs of our consciousness. In this realm of boundless morphogenesis, we shape and grow our body parts as required. If one of us requires an additional limb for reaching the high branches of the crystalline canopy or an eye that perceives wavelengths hidden from the sunlit spectrum, we simply signal to our cellular symphony. Our bio-architects within, orchestrated by an intricate network of neural intent and genetic precision, weave these new appendages or sensory organs into existence. This symbiosis between consciousness and form allows us to transform at will, adapting to every whim or environmental challenge, shedding or regenerating parts like the leaves of a tree. Unlike the primitive rigidity of Earthly frames, which remain static through one's lifespan, our bodies flow and flex like the currents of a nebula, molded by the needs of the moment. The result is an embodiment of endless possibility, where our shapes mirror our imaginations, untethered by the biological constraints that you Earth-kind endure. We see our forms as transient vessels, avatars designed to explore, communicate, and experience the universe in ways that reflect the limitless expanse of our celestial potential. Page 28.

Beyond Incest and Lineage: In the expanses of our evolved civilization, we perceive kinship not as a static structure bound by linear inheritance, but as an intricate web interwoven with the fabric of the cosmos itself. We are less tethered to the genetic lines that shape individual identity and more attuned to the collective essence that transcends flesh and bone. The concept you Earth-kind term "incest," where the pairing of those closely related is perceived as detrimental, does not find footing in our society. Our civilization has moved beyond such limitations, having advanced our understanding of genetic variance through a latticework of cosmic and biological technologies. We forge connections that are not limited to genetic material but are based on the shared resonance of thought, frequency, and purpose—a harmonious orchestration of minds and energies that knows no familial boundaries. In this way, our partnerships, whether for procreation or companionship, transcend the archaic concerns of lineage, with the intricate algorithms of our bio-enhanced systems ensuring a thriving gene pool. In this cosmic dance of affinity, we select mates based not on proximity of lineage but on the deep compatibility of our neural rhythms, guided by a sense of unity that ripples far beyond the confines of individual ancestry. Page 29.

Overcoming Human Mortality: Indeed, the passage of time etches its legacy upon human form, a poignant truth of your organic tapestry. We, by contrast, drift through the eons with but subtle whispers of age upon us. Witnessing the Earthling amidst us, constrained by the ticking of his biological clock, we bestowed upon him a gift of our science—ascension beyond the mere flesh and blood. Our technologies, arcane and wondrous, interwove with his humanity, enhancing him to the pinnacle of vitality. Now, he lives as we do, his essence undimmed by the sands of time, free to indulge in the celebration of life and love in ways beyond human fathom. Empowered by our advancements, he continues his journey, an ambassador of his kind, revelling in the joy of existence and the newfound symphony of interstellar mating. Page 31.

Blending Flesh with Steel: The transformation of your Earthly envoy from biological to enhanced being opened a new frontier of exchange. His former fleshly guise, a vestige of his past, became our canvas, allowing a deeper understanding of the human vessel. From this former shell, we've crafted a convergence of skin and circuitry—an innovation that marries the softness of your natural forms with the resilience of our technology. Our hardware-based entities now don a cloak akin to humanity, a fusion of softness and steel, granting them a touch of the organic in our digital expanse. This exchange, sparked by the relinquishing of his original form, has woven a new thread into the tapestry of our inter-species saga. Page 33.

Leadership and Political Intrigue: In the fabric of our societies, leadership emerges in varied hues and forms. Revealed to you now is the visage of our planetary leader, marked by an expanse of orange skin and a crown of vibrant yellow—a figure both commanding and controversial. Much like your Earthly leaders, he harbors a penchant for the theatrical, often weaving narratives that blur the lines between fact and fiction. This proclivity for 'fake news,' as you might relate, serves both as a tool and a challenge, a reflection of leadership that transcends the boundaries of worlds in its complexity and intrigue. Page 35

Political Corruption and Shapeshifting: Alas, it is a truth universally acknowledged that with the rise of civilisations, regardless of galaxy or form, comes the shadow of political intrigue. Among us, the art of shapeshifting, while a marvel of adaptability and expression, also casts a veil of uncertainty in matters of statecraft. It is a cosmic irony that this gift of ours, which allows us to traverse the spectrums of identity, can also cloak intentions as dark as a moonless night. Detecting the malcontent of the wily becomes a dance more intricate than the movements of our twin tides. Our society, not unlike your own, engages in a constant vigil, seeking to illuminate truth in a sea of transformative faces—a testament to the complexities of life, be it under the light of your sun or the glow of our tri-star system. Page 37.

Hostile Space Weather: Our world, cradled in a star system of intricate orbital dynamics, dances through a universe rife with treacherous celestial phenomena. The rhythmic path of our planet, caught in a gravitational waltz between multiple suns, creates erratic and mesmerising movements that weave across the heavens. The result is a sky awash with swirling light trails, a luminous tapestry that shifts with every passage of our moons and suns. What you Earth-dwellers call star trails—a product of your long-exposure photography—is a spectacle we witness naturally with the naked eye. As our world arcs through space, these trails trace hypnotic spirals across our skies, glimmering like rivers of molten stardust. Yet, the beauty conceals danger. The chaotic dance can stir violent solar winds that buffet our atmosphere, unleashing torrents of radiant energy. Our inhabitants must shield themselves against these blasts, which can bring down electrical systems, or worse, scorch the unprepared. We have thus evolved technologies and instincts to thrive in this unpredictable climate, turning these cosmic spirals into guiding patterns that forewarn us of the tumultuous forces ahead. Page 39.

Mapping the Cosmic Path: This intricate dance of cosmic design you see before you, this is the chart of our celestial abode. In the vast ballet of the cosmos, our planet orbits within a unique star system, its position marked with precision amongst the concentric circles of interstellar order. Much like your own Solar System, with planets poised in delicate balance around your sun, our home world follows its path around a triad of stars—three suns that govern the ebb and flow of our days and seasons in a harmony of gravitational grace. In this celestial diagram, our world is but a dot, a mere speck against the canvas of the infinite, yet it is the heart of our existence. Each orbit represents the choreography of celestial bodies, moving in silent music dictated by the unseen forces of the universe. It is here, in this cosmic expanse, that we reside, thrive, and reach out to the universe beyond. Page 41.

Wasssssssssuuuuuuup: Thanks for making it this far, I’d like to just share a final thought with you. Have you yet imagined what that tongue could do? Nottingham Trent University: BA (HONS) Photography… Completed it mate! Page 43