Lea Porsager’s CØSMIC STRIKE at Aargauer Kunsthaus

Lea Porsager, CØSMIC STRIKE, 2018. FEMI HORN [MORE AND MORE GHOSTS CUM INTO THE VACUUM, 2020. Installation view, Aargauer Kunsthaus. Courtesy of the artist and NILS STÆRK, Copenhagen. Photo: Constantin Frei, Zurich

Commissioned by Arts at CERN, Lea Porsager’s installation exploring the enigmatic nature of neutrinos is presented in Emma Kunz’s retrospective at Aargauer Kunsthaus

Emma Kunz engaged with geometric abstraction as a method to structure her philosophical and scientific inquiries. Her pioneering work paved the way for restorative practices, projecting a vision that resonates deeply with contemporary thought. The exhibition Emma Kunz Cosmos, A Visionary in Dialogue with Contemporary Art reflects the lasting influence of Kunz’s holistic approach, revealing how her explorations continue to influence contemporary artworks.

Lea Porsager is one of the fifteen international artists showcased in the exhibition. Her practice spans film, sculpture, photography, and text, deeply influenced by scientific concepts, energetic fields, spiritual cosmologies, occult practices, and feminist perspectives. In 2018, Porsager received an Honorary Mention of Arts at CERN Collide Award, and received support to develop an art commission.

In CØSMIC STRIKE, Porsager navigates the elusive nature of neutrinos—those nearly massless, neutral particles that slip through matter by trillions every second, barely interacting with it. At the centre of this work lies a replica of a neutrino horn, FEMI HORN [MORE AND MORE GHOSTS CUM INTO THE VACUUM] (2020). The iconic instrument was invented by Simon van der Meer at CERN in 1963 to focus charged particle beams that decay into neutrinos. The horn played a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of the electroweak theory, with crucial experiments conducted at CERN in the 1970s.

Physicist Paul Musset inspects the internal conductor of the magnetic horn used at the Proton Synchrotron, 1972. Courtesy CERN

Porsager replicates the scientific instrument, transforming it into a speculative portal that draws viewers in a 3D animation. We are invited to experience ‘neutrino- imaginations’ from the inside of the instrument, which becomes a ghostly container of oscillation, vibrations and tension. In an interplay of scientific thinking and mysticism, CØSMIC STRIKE beckons viewers to imagine impossible worlds through the lens of neutrino energy radiating from the horn.

Emma Kunz Cosmos. A Visionary in Dialogue with Contemporary Art is on view from the 2nd March to the 24th May 2021.