#DATAATADATA : Angular Momentum

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A show exploring the science and research of the fundamental nature of reality. Inspired by the Muon g-2 experiment, this show explores vibrations, spherical oscillations, data and the infinitely small scale of the universe.

Our time as the 2020 Fermilab Artists-in-residence was an incredible and unpredictable adventure. What started out as a rare up close and personal exploration of one of the most historic and premier science laboratories in the world, quickly had to adapt to the limitations set by the pandemic. As with all obstacles and challenges we had to redouble our focus and redefine our strategy.

Admittedly, our experience was met with a bit of disappointment in the face of events. However, among the fundamentally shared elements of all things creative, in both art and science, is resilience and fluidity. As visual artists, our personal approach to the creative process has always been inspired by our experiences in which we look to absorb and interpret our subjects. With no access to the laboratories due to the shutdown, our experience would have to adapt and with it, our subject and approach would naturally have to change as well.

One of the first things we learned, with regards to the level of research we were exposed to, was the sacrosanct rule of exploration – rather than risk coercing an outcome you follow the path to where it leads.

NASA, but in the opposite direction:

Our new path would reveal itself between a great deal of self study and our conversations with some of the incredible minds behind the study of nature at its most infinite reaches. The idea that space on the quantum level is equally as expansive as outer space can seem counterintuitive at first, until you get it. There is a kind of ‘“aha” moment when you understand that in the precision and scale of studying the infinitesimal, it is as vast and awe inspiring as the search for stars and galaxies in the observable universe.

Where we had originally anticipated absorbing the atmosphere and complexities of the experiments being conducted, we found ourselves quietly exploring aspects of the fields within particle physics that we never imagined to comprehend.

Artists as translators:

We often have described the act of creating art as a poetic expression of its subject material, a kind of translation. In this, our main goal from the very start was to create an expression that could draw direct relationships between this stunningly complex subject and connect it to the larger realm of the human experience. A way to show that within the densely intricate mathematics and abstract theories behind the physics of our invisible universe, there was a symmetry and sameness shared with the world and experiences on a human scale.

The biggest takeaways that we could have made in observing this dimension of the universe, was the unexpected understanding, that within all of these fiendishly complex ideas being explored and fused with incredibly intricate machinery, massive particle collisions and inconceivable energies, is that the world at the quantum level was not simply made up of  “tiny things”. That in this shared sameness, the quantum world is nature. The quantum world is life.