1201.2880v1

Leah Beeferman

Friday, January 6th, 2012 - Sunday, January 29th, 2012

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

I am exploring "graph space": a universe of data plots representing complex particle activity only perceptible through precise scientific diagrams. They are distinct records of invisible events: distinguishable changes in measurement which appear as subtle or substantial visual shifts. Set in a new visual context, these graphs transform the systematic display of measurement into something uncertain and inconclusive. The result is ambiguous: suggestive of information, but providing no specifics.

For 1201.2880v1, I present a collection of graphed "events" (particle beam collisions) from experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. I've taken these graphs – certain public records of LHC experiment results* – out of context, assembling them into digital drawings by overlapping, blurring, and grouping them with a few invented elements into new abstract images. To allow for precise reproduction of this mechanically-precise imagery, I use a laser to etch the images into sheets of plexiglas. Then, I stack the sheets together, creating a tabletop "graph space" in which layers reflect and combine, creating new forms of actual and illusory information display. In the background are certain invented sounds suggestive of this space: uncalculated regularities and uneven systems.

* The graphs are found in scientific papers presenting specific LHC experimental results to the public. (Each experiment takes the form of up to 600 million+ proton beam collisions.) The papers are available for download on LHC websites: https://twiki.cern.ch/ twiki/bin/view/AtlasPublic and https://twiki.cern.ch/twiki/bin/view/ CMSPublic/PhysicsResults