Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram [n°4], 2023. Installation view Exploring the Unknown, CERN Science Gateway (2023). Photo: Marina Cavazza.

data.gram [n°4]

Ryoji Ikeda
2023

In data.gram [n °4], Ryoji Ikeda explores the aesthetic potential of scientific data to display different scales of the Universe. The artwork allows viewers to visualise some of the less well understood aspects of our cosmos - from the tiny world of quantum particles to human-sized environments and the vast scales of clusters of galaxies.

 

Ikeda uses data from established research institutions like CERN, NASA and the Human Genome Project to craft a story about the natural world. The use of data-driven imagery to show hidden elements of the Universe invites us to reflect on the mysteries that the cosmos holds, such as the quantum vacuum and the existence of dark matter. Is the Universe as quiet and as still as it seems? When you experience data.gram [n°4], you might feel the “quietness” of the quantum vacuum and think about your place in these different scales of the Universe.

 

data.gram [n°4] was commissioned by Arts at CERN for the exhibition Exploring the Unknown at the CERN Science Gateway, CERN's new education and outreach centre.

Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram [n°4], 2023 (video still)
Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram [n°4], 2023 (video still)
Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram [n°4], 2023. Installation view Exploring the Unknown, CERN Science Gateway (2023). Photo: Marina Cavazza.
Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram [n°4], 2023. Installation view Exploring the Unknown, CERN Science Gateway (2023). Photo: Marina Cavazza.
Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram [n°4], 2023 (video still)
Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram [n°4], 2023 (video still)
Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram [n°4], 2023. Installation view Exploring the Unknown, CERN Science Gateway (2023). Photo: Marina Cavazza.
Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram [n°4], 2023. Installation view Exploring the Unknown, CERN Science Gateway (2023). Photo: Marina Cavazza.

Ryoji Ikeda (b. 1966 in Gifu, Japan) currently lives and works in Paris and Kyoto. He is a composer and an artist, known for his striking audiovisual installations and performances. He was an artist in residence at Arts at CERN, CERN’s pioneering art and science programme, in both 2014 and 2015. His work, blending electronic music with experimental art, aims to reveal hidden aspects of nature and mathematical concepts