When Worlds Collide

Background The social, cultural and historical aspects of experiments such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Switzerland, play a key but under-valued role in the development of science, as is reported by sociologists such as Karen Knorr Cetina. Artists that work in-situ in such labs are thus uniquely placed to explore and present the social and material histories of experiments such as the LHC. Materials containing such elements can be found within institutional archives - however only several artists have ever had access to the CERN archives. Contribution During my CERN collaboration, I discovered, in their underground archive, data that was very different to the mathematical data derived from particle physics experiments, in that it portrayed the human aspects of science. This was in the form of forgotten fragments of documentary film, and mouldering photographs that once won Nobel prizes, revealing the trials and tensions of those at CERN who first probed the subatomic realm. Using processes that allowed for chance collisions of cinematic ephemera, I magnified the formal and narrative dynamics between the documentary elements, suggesting different dimensions to the experiments, and giving a new energy to and between the frames of the footage. Significance "When Worlds Collide" was developed in collaboration with the CERN archivist, who personally sourced the media for me. This is the first time an art project has used such material. The project was selected, by an expert panel from an international open call, to premiere at "The Convening" conference and "Intersections" exhibition event marking the 50th anniversary of the "Leonardo" journal. “Leonardo” is the pioneer art/science journal, and this event was attended by the world’s leading art/science researchers. This was held at the San Francisco Art Institute, one of the oldest and most renowned art schools in the USA – alumni range from Ansel Adams and Mark Rothko to Lydia Lunch and Paul McCarthy.