Arts at CERN

Following an international open call launched in collaboration with Copenhagen Contemporary in January, Arts at CERN announced that the artist Alice Bucknell is the recipient of the second Collide Copenhagen residency award.

Established in 2012, Collide is Arts at CERN’s international residency award, where the residency is a unique opportunity for artists working in the crossovers between art, science and technology to immerse themselves in the vibrant environment of the Laboratory and engage in dialogue with CERN’s scientific community.

Collide Copenhagen is a three-year collaboration framework between CERN and Copenhagen Contemporary. It supports artistic research into art, science and technology, with a residency taking place annually from 2023 to 2025. For this edition, Collide received 718 entries from 91 different countries.

Bucknell will embark on a two-month residency, split between CERN and Copenhagen Contemporary, to develop their proposal “Small Void”. Drawing inspiration from CERN’s particle physics research and the intricate ecosystems of Earth, the project seeks to explore the relationships between life and intelligence at the micro-scale through game worlds.

At CERN, Bucknell will work alongside scientists to explore artistically microscopic black holes – hypothetical entities with the potential to unlock new questions about physics and extra dimensions. Delving into how researchers envision the “micro” through scientific imaging, the artist will seek to imagine and transform these hypothetical objects within the game and incorporate visualisations inspired by CERN experiments.

At CERN, Bucknell will work alongside scientists to explore artistically microscopic black holes – hypothetical entities with the potential to unlock new questions about physics and extra dimensions. Delving into how researchers envision the “micro” through scientific imaging, the artist will seek to imagine and transform these hypothetical objects within the game and incorporate visualisations inspired by CERN experiments.

In Copenhagen, the focus will shift to Earth-bound life forms. Inspired by the Assistens Cemetery’s lichen, Bucknell will explore these resilient ecosystems that exist outside a binary perception of life and aliveness. By integrating both elements as narrative agents, the game will aim to spark a dialogue about microcosmic intelligence and life.

With the support of the curatorial teams of Arts at CERN and Copenhagen Contemporary, a phase of designing and producing a new artwork will follow the residency. Together with the 2023 awardee, Dutch artist Joan Heemskerk, and the winner of next year’s edition, the three awardees of Collide Copenhagen will become part of an exhibition at Copenhagen Contemporary in 2025.

“I am thrilled to witness Collide’s continued success in attracting artists who brilliantly merge physics with key aspects of our contemporary culture. Alice Bucknell’s bold approach to science will undoubtedly inspire CERN scientists to delve into questions about the limits of knowledge and our understanding of the world. It’s also exciting to see how Collide strengthens the partnership between CERN and Copenhagen Contemporary as we enter the second year of our collaboration, fostering innovative art projects within our communities in Geneva and Copenhagen,” said Mónica Bello, Head of Arts at CERN.

“With a highly original perspective on the deep interweaving of technology and nature in contemporary culture, Alice Bucknell invites us to be insiders in a gameplay where nature, ecology and the environment are reimagined. At Copenhagen Contemporary we are beyond excited to take a deep dive through Bucknell’s speculative ecological lens and to continue our flourishing collaboration with Arts at CERN in this second edition of Collide Copenhagen,” said Marie Laurberg, Director of Copenhagen Contemporary.

About the jury

The jury consisted of Mónica Bello, Curator and Head of Arts at CERN; Marie Laurberg, Director of Copenhagen Contemporary; Ana Prendes, Assistant Curator of Arts at CERN; and Hannah Redler-Hawes, independent curator.