Astrophysics and art cooperate on dark matter and neutrinos

4/24/2025
Reading time 2 min.

Astroparticle physics researchers researchers from the 91桃色 (TUM) and artists from the Academy of Fine Arts Munich (AdBK) and the Haus der Kunst are working together on a cross-disciplinary project: TUM's Collaborative Research Center SFB 1258 "Neutrinos and Dark Matter in Astro- and Particle Physics", funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), will be working with the photography class at the AdBK over the next few years to artistically reflect on its twelve years of research work. The results are to be presented at the Haus der Kunst in 2028.

Close-up of the loudspeaker of the radio station 鈥楻adio Amnion鈥�: The sound project by artist Jol Thoms is integrated into a neutrino experiment by Prof Elisa Resconi in the Pacific Ocean. It broadcasts sound art into the depths of the ocean at full moon.

Together, the researchers and artists want to examine issues such as the role of scientific production in shaping society and the cultural significance of basic research. The collaboration will be overseen by a curator in close coordination with Haus der Kunst. , Professor of Experimental Physics of Cosmic Particles at TUM and spokesperson for the SFB 1258, and the photography and video artist Armin Linke, Professor of Photography at the AdBK since 2024, lead the collaboration.

Elisa Resconi emphasizes: "The exchange with artists has significantly expanded our possibilities of communicating with the public and at the same time deepened our own understanding of the scientific work in the CRC 1258. It's great that we can further develop this fruitful connection regarding content and structure."

Armin Linke says: "This project offers a unique opportunity to explore scientific processes not only from the outside but through collaborative and participatory engagement. By working with theorists and laboratories, we want to explore the overlap between scientific and artistic methods - especially in the development of visualization strategies in astrophysics. The project also raises general questions: How do visual and perceptual representations shape scientific understanding? What role do scientific and technical resources, aesthetics, intuition, and uncertainty play in knowledge production?"

Through the cooperation between the two partners and Haus der Kunst, the artistic examination of scientific research is given a further diverse and open place for discourse. Dr. Andrea Lissoni, the artistic director, is delighted that Haus der Kunst is part of the project with the presentation of the results of this unique collaboration.

The project lasts four years

The collaborative project is set to run for four years and will begin in the summer semester with the 'Physics & Art Mondays', a series of lectures and discussions at the AdBK. This will be followed by joint seminars for students from both universities as well as excursions to important research locations, including the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Garching, CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Laboratori Nazionale del Gran Sasso in L'Aquila, Italy.

The cooperation will kick off on Friday, 25 April 2025, at Haus der Kunst as part of the monthly Open House evening. The artist Jol Thoms will present the project : Sonic Transmissions of Care in Oceanic Space, a multi-year sound work for the waters of the Earth. Every full moon, commissioned compositions by contemporary artists are broadcast into the Pacific Ocean at a depth of more than two kilometers. The radio station is integrated into an exploratory experiment for the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE), which is anchored to the seabed of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Canada.

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