CARLA MOLINS PITARCH 2019
Sense tu no hauria estat possible, Dani.
CARLA MOLINS PITARCH 2019
The research for Omnipresence explores the understanding of complex scientific phenomena, particularly dark matter, which is an invisible form of matter that holds our galaxy together: you can’t see it, but its effect on surrounding objects are quite obvious. The concept of dark matter appears as an apparent mismatch between the amount of matter assumed from the gravitational dragging forces exerted on ordinary astrophysical objects (stars, galaxies, etc.) and the (luminous) matter we can see with telescopes.
Omnipresence is an interactive physical installation providing science museum visitors an opportunity to interact in a playful way with the complex phenomena of dark matter in order to better understand the inexplicable universe. The installation is an abstraction of a galaxy; users’ interactions represent removing and bringing back dark matter, through which they can observe the consequences of that interaction and its impact on negative space. Omnipresence is envisioned to be a temporary experience installed adjacent to a museum’s current galactic exhibition
Complexity comes in different shapes, fields, and contexts and it requires the proper approach to be able to tackle the specifics. I’ve encountered different instances of complexity throughout my lifetime, and some of them are still waiting to be unpacked. The one that always makes me uncomfortable is the unknown unknown, which threatens to unravel an essential element of my research unexpectedly. Being surrounded by incognita is becoming part of the process. Growing up, I tutored a wide range of students who found math and other sciences tedious and incomprehensible. It was not until I taught two middle school girls with dyslexia that I found out how important it is to find new ways to explain what they saw complicated. For them, the complexity was embedded in a content not explicitly designed to learn from understanding, just from memorization, which they found was particularly challenging. Therefore, I was always trying to create small challenges to spark their motivation. Ultimately, learning ended up being a game thanks to all the activities that I created. The academic progress and personal success of those kids was gratifying and led me to wonder how I could make science more understandable and attractive to help other people too.
Figure 1 Untitled, Jackson Pollock (1950), oil on canvas. Whitney Museum of American Art.
Many scientific topics that are incredibly interesting but have complicated language and a lack of good visuals unintentionally restrict access for a general audience. Because there are different kinds of learning, and therefore understanding, a wide audience may require different types of stimuli. Media artists have tools to make science more understandable and attractive, to produce what most people don’t expect to see and to call attention to important concepts in science. Science plays an essential and omnipresent role in society and in our daily lives. In particular, quantum physics is one of the most contemporary topics in mainstream science fiction. This is due in part because it remains one of the most poorly understood areas of science, creating misconceptions and faux knowledge. In part because its complexity is a formidable barrier between the scientific community and wider audiences. Using the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle as an example (which happened almost 50 years later than the theoretical prediction) there is a need in quantum physics, and generally, for comprehensive visual explanations to be created to explain scientific breakthroughs to broad audiences. Small pieces of the puzzle that can explain the mysterious universe will be discovered in an undefined amount of time. In the meantime, it’s worth the effort to try to understand the few that we know about the universe. For scientific content to be absorbed readily, its complexity needs to be fragmented into smaller capsules of knowledge given in any kind of medium.
Figure 2 Annihilation, Carla Molins (2013). http://www.carlamolins.com/annihilation.
About five years ago, as the final project for my undergraduate degree, I started the embryonic phase of this research. My objective was to create an experimental visual representation of antimatter, transforming a concept without clear imagery into a short audiovisual, with supporting material such as infographics and booklets based on physics theory. The main aim was to generate debate, curiosity, and amusement with this experience. Hence, I created Annihilation, which became a Laus Design Award winner and Ei Award finalist and was featured in the Blanc festival and selected for Elia NEU. Even though Annihilation project quite successful, I always felt that I was restricted regarding mediums available and techniques that I hadn’t discovered by then and others that weren’t accessible to me. Ever since I’ve tried to acquire as many different new techniques as possible to be able to express myself better.
Design can be a bridge to different disciplines, such as science and technology. Design, art, technology, programming, and interactions are the ingredients for projects that will provide society with useful and meaningful experiences. For this reason, not only must the digital visualization of science be studied, but its physicality must also be pushed forward in the form of an interactive piece. A significant opportunity to achieve this goal lies in creating interactive artworks explaining scientific concepts. Such work can generate substantially more impact and interest than traditional pedagogical methods. Thus, the overarching goal of my work is to visualize scientific concepts whose complexity has rendered them difficult to represent. In this particular project, my focus is on dark matter.
As far as explaining dark matter, in my visits to a number of different museums and scientific institutions, I mainly found audiovisuals about dark matter: nothing at all interactive, or any experience that wasn’t simply linear. Even when visiting CERN, I was surprised by how little experimentation had been done, and how limited it felt.
Figure 3 CERN projection mapping about Dark Matter, January 2019.
Through my own investigation and experimentation, I achieved a better understanding of dark matter. There is a reason to create a connection from quantum physics to art, design, and technology. Thus, to pursue my research, I have explored the work from scientist, artist and other points of view to provide a variety of perspectives. This paper will treat dark matter from a theoretical point of view and but also a conceptual standpoint.
VOLUME I/9