2024
Cosmic void data, black foil, animated LEDs, 4 channel sound
Using astronomical data from millions of galaxies, Semiconductor has revealed the cosmic voids within superclusters with pinpricks of light. These hand-manipulated sculptural forms unveil vast expanses of nearly empty space, known as Cosmic Voids. Comparable to giant bubbles amid threadlike filaments of dust, stars, and galaxies, scientists suspect these voids are dominated by dark energy, a mysterious force believed to accelerate the universe’s expansion. The work also features audio created from sound waves based on Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations—quantum events that shaped the universe
Reframing the 20th century art tradition of exploring negative space within the context of recent scientific findings, Nothing is Possible creates a dialogue between historical artistic modes and our current understanding of the cosmos.
The translation of the data into physical material brought within the proximity of human touch, seeks to express the limitation of the means available to us to represent the phenomena of the cosmos at such vast and unfathomable scales.
Credits:
Data courtesy of the SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey)
Thanks to Professor James Geach, University Hertfordshire, UK
and Kelly Douglas, University of Rochester, NY, USA.
Reference; AAS Journal article: Kelly A. Douglass et al 2023 ApJS 265 7
Commissioned by Casino Luxembourg, Forum D’art Contemporain, originally for the exhibition Black Air, curated by Amelia LiCavoli.