Arts at CERN

Artists from all over the world are invited to spend time at CERN and work alongside particle physicists and engineers

Arts at CERN pioneers new ways of bringing together artists and scientists, leads the conversation about art and science, and supports artistic creativity and curiosity towards fundamental research. Artists from all over the world are invited, through our cultural programmes, to spend time at CERN and work alongside particle physicists and engineers.

Today, we announce the winners of Collide International and Collide Geneva. Both awards offer a fully funded residency of up to three months to one artist in each category in order to research new ideas and crossovers between artistic practice and scientific research at the largest particle laboratory in the world.

“Arts at CERN aims to break down the silos between arts and science, helping us to understand the world around us from different perspectives. It enriches all of us when barriers are overcome and new knowledge is enabled. We are grateful to all the participants in Collide International and Collide Geneva for helping us towards this goal and congratulate them on their achievements,” says Charlotte Lindberg Warakaulle, CERN’s Director for International Relations.

Collide International award is a three month residency programme in collaboration with the UK’s Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT) that provides a fully funded residency of up to two months at CERN and a month at FACT in Liverpool. A jury of experts in art and science selected Suzanne Treister as the winner of the international award. She will spend a residency during Spring 2018 to further develop her investigation about the Holographic Universe and how it might inform the artist’s motivations and intentions through history of art. Taiwanese artist Yu-Chen Wang, Danish artist Lea Porsager and Colombian artist Juan Cortés are the three Honorary Mentions in this edition and they will be invited to CERN for a short visit as Guest Artists in 2018.

The Collide Geneva award was dedicated to performance and was assigned to the artists Anne Sylvie Henchoz and Julie Lang. They will spend three months at CERN during the autumn of 2018 further developing their project ‘Space Time Energy’ around the potential analogies between the human body and particles. Collide Geneva is a partnership between Arts at CERN, the Republic and Canton of Geneva and the City of Geneva to foster research on artistic expression and fundamental research.

“Today, artists from all over the world are invited to CERN, through our programmes, to explore new ideas and work alongside particle physicists and engineers. I am thrilled to provide these opportunities in this unique environment where artistic practice acquires a new dimension and understanding,” says Mónica Bello, Head of Arts at CERN.