Arts at CERN

The artists selected for Connect India presented their artistic practices, recent works, and the progress of their residency projects to the CERN community

Between April and June, Swiss artist Elisa Storelli and Indian artist Rohini Devasher completed their research-based residencies at CERN and the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS). During their stays in Geneva and Bengaluru, the artists explored scientific research and engaged with communities of physicists, engineers and laboratory staff to develop their research-based projects.

At the end of their residency, the artists presented their artistic practices, recent works, and the progress of their residency projects to the CERN community and local collaborators. Rohini Devasher showed the progress of In a Mirror, Darkly, which she also developed in a post-residency essay. The project seeks to evolve from her ongoing artistic practice – The Standard Model – which describes two frames: wonder and the strange, focusing on the role of observation, the observer and the field or site. Through her residency, she has expanded its scope into Beyond the Standard Model, a diagram to propose new modes and methodologies of research and practice.

Elisa Storelli introduced her artistic practice, which focuses on the artistic examination of time, which she calls ‘chronomorphology’. With her residency project, A para-chronology of atoms and stars, Storelli intends to develop a scientific narrative as a multimedia poem that invites the audience to consider the notions of time and chronology that shape our understanding of the world.

Connect is the collaborative framework between Arts at CERN and Pro Helvetia that serves as a platform to foster dialogue between artistic and scientific communities worldwide. The programme seeks to integrate science into contemporary culture by creating a global network of collaboration. It offers a dual residencies at CERN and partner scientific institutions, where two selected artists share both residencies. This distinctive opportunity allows artists to gain new perspectives and deepen their practices by working with scientists, engineers, and staff in diverse cultural environments. Supported by curatorial teams from Arts at CERN and its partner institutions, these residencies encourage artistic innovation, inspiring and shaping the creation of new works. Following the successful editions in South Africa and India, a new edition will be launched in Chile in autumn 2023.