dark matter art

High School Art Competition

High school students used what they learnt from the web and visits to their schools by the Centre to create unique and original artworks, representing their interpretation of a dark matter particle. Entries were submitted by Dark Matter Day and competition winners (see below) had their work displayed on the Centre’s website. Each received a certificate and gift voucher from the Centre.

Y7-9 category - joint winner - Tabitha

Universe Glue - If theories are correct and axions are related to dark matter, then when dark matter (the glue that holds the universe together) exists at temperatures that are only just above absolute zero (so that no other objects can emit light/heat), it will emit a very faint light.

Y7-9 category - joint winner - Bethan

Noninteractive - My interpretation of dark matter is based on the premise that it is not immediately visible but encompasses a lot of the universe.

Y10-12 category – winner – Yifei

(un)detectable - The artwork is inspired by the nature of dark matter; how it is essentially undetectable and how it doesn’t interact with normal matter. The artwork shows mysterious objects and hands overlapping Vera Rubin (one of the leading scientists in dark matter). In normal light, everything can be seen. In blue light, only Vera and traces of dark matter are visible, and in red light, only clear, yet mysterious representations of dark matter are visible. This reflects how dark matter interacts with normal matter and the mystery around it.

Science Gallery Melbourne partnership

The Centre has strengthened its relationship with the Science Gallery Melbourne in 2022. The ‘Art x Science’ residency program supports a First Nations artist or collective to research and develop a new work between Arts House and Science Gallery Melbourne. The Centre is also a project partner on the residency. The residency provides these artists the opportunity to deep dive into their ideas, with financial support, mentoring, resources and networking with academics. It is non-outcome based, with the option to consider programming their projects as a part of Dark Matters public programs if it is desirable.

The residency is underway with the two selected artists, Jackie Sheppard and Tyler Willay, completing the first phases of their residencies at Science Gallery Melbourne. This has included excursions and coming into Science Gallery Melbourne to spend time with the team and developing their project concepts further and identifying researchers they want to consult with during the residency. Jackie is exploring somatic movement and unforeseen knowledge that remains in the landscape. Tyler is exploring the ethics of acquiring knowledge. The artists will return in stage two in early 2023 to creatively develop their projects further and they will be connecting to Centre scientists during this time.

Their residencies will result in a project presentation of their work-indevelopment to Science Gallery and Arts House in mid-2023.

In July, the Science Gallery Melbourne held an open call for projects which will be shortlisted and included in their 2023 exhibition DARK MATTERS which will run between August and December 2023. In its most successful open call to date, over 300 applicants proposed projects, tools, scenarios, and relational experiences that enable a deeper exploration of this extraordinary experience we call life and nature and all the dark matter that flows under it, runs through it and collides with it. A selection of projects will be included in the DARK MATTERS exhibition, curated in collaboration with Mónica Bello, Head of Arts at CERN and a curatorial panel of young people. The exhibition will be developed in collaboration with Arts at CERN and the Centre with the support of an expert panel. High school students will also participate in coordinated excursions to the Science Gallery and associated hands on activities.