The Pleiades are a well-known cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus, lying around 400 light years from Earth. Only six to nine of the stars in the cluster are visible to the naked eye. From time immemorial, humans have used these stars for navigation and as a seasonal guide. For ancient agricultural societies, for example, the rising and setting of the Pleiades signalled the time for sowing and harvest.

The Pleiades cluster contains several thousand stars. Likewise, the surface of my raised bowl bears the traces of innumerable hammer strokes. The configuration of the nine visible stars is reflected in the corners of my Pleiades Bowl.