Arts at CERN

The event Unveiling the Universe kicked off CERN’s 70th anniversary celebrations with an event combining art and science

Watch the event recording

2024 marks CERN’s 70th anniversary, with a packed programme of activities that will connect its rich heritage with its bright future with its unique accelerator complex set to drive 70 more years of research into what the Universe is made of and how it works. Since its foundation, the Laboratory has been a place of inspiration and exploration, welcoming artists to its premises as early as the 1970s.

On 30 January, the event Unveiling the Universe was a unique meeting point of art and science, looking at how we have built and will continue to build knowledge and understanding of the big questions about the Universe –  from the first billionth of a second after the Big Bang to the invisible, “dark” Universe –  driven by human curiosity and imagination.

The day began with the inaugural CERN Art and Science Summit. Renowned artists and physicists delved into the challenges and opportunities of engagement across disciplines. The Summit highlighted the achievements of CERN’s forward-thinking approach to arts and creativity throughout its history, with a particular emphasis on the work of Arts at CERN over more than a decade.

The agenda comprised a thought-provoking experience, weaving together moderated conversations, an exhibition visit, and a live audiovisual performance. In Fundamentals, speakers examined how art and science pursue fundamental questions about nature. The conversation The Unanswered Questions explored the uncharted territories that lie at the frontiers of knowledge. Scientific Imaginations will delve into the imaginative processes that drive both artistic expression and scientific breakthroughs. Attendees were also invited to visit Exploring the Unknown, the inaugural art exhibition at the CERN Science Gateway, with the artists Julius von Bismarck, Chloé Delarue, and Yunchul Kim present.

Extending into the evening, renowned voices in science, such as David Gross, 2004 Nobel Laureate, Djuna Croon, Gian Francesco Giudice, and Tara Shears, discussed the evolution of particle physics and CERN’s crucial contributions to the field over the last 70 years.

The event concluded with Enigma, a collaborative work by composer Anna Þorvaldsdóttir and artist Sigurður Guðjónsson, which was performed live by the string quartet Ensemble Phoenix Basel. Inspired by the notion of the ‘in-between’, Þorvaldsdóttir’s enchanting and disorienting sounds intertwine with Guðjónsson’s evocative imagery, inviting profound contemplations of our relationship to the vast expanse of the cosmos.