Gravity Laboratory

I began working closely with the Gravity Laboratory in January 2024. The shared aim was to begin a process of co-creation and discovery. The lab were very open to a process where I used methods developed within their experimental process and developed artwork in collaboration with their scientists in my studio. Discoveries from my studio and developments from the lab were shared at regular meetings and elements from both sides were (and are still) incorporated into the artwork and the experimental setup within the lab.

The development of the artwork involved my close involvement with an experiment looking into quantum fluctuations of the early universe. My process began by mirroring the setup of the experiment in my studio then adapting the experiment to test alternative methods of adapting the scientist’s imaging techniques.

Silke Weinfurtner who leads the lab and Ulrike Kuchner who’s crossover art-science work and artistic lead on this project, alongside Lina Jansson’s guidance on art and philosophy were all hugely helpful. Many of the scientists at the Gravity Lab offered direct help: both Vitor Barroso and Maciej Jarema’s expertise on the related science and the experiments they are developing served as a strong background for my research and experimentation. The 3D imaging of the water’s surface could not have been done without the innovative techniques that Vitor Barroso is developing.

The residency has so far led to exhibitions at Lakeside Arts in Nottingham, the Science Gallery in London, Greens Windmill in Nottingham and the New Glasgow Society in Glasgow. A number of talks on the subject with scientific and art institutions has also taken place in Nottingham and Durham universities.

The work with scientists at the Gravity Lab is ongoing and future shows and new collaborative experiments are in development.