origin

What we can see, perceive and measure is, indeed, quite a bit. Nevertheless, what we have been able to register (thus far) amounts to a mere 4.6% of the universe. The rest is darkness: dark energy and dark matter.

Origin – Investigating the Big Bang is an introduction to the spectacular and fascinating world of science and research—specifically, pure basic research in the field of particle physics being conducted at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in conjunction with the first global scientific project, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Staffed by 10,000 scientists and support personnel from 80 countries, CERN is the equivalent of a small city.

Its annual budget of 1 billion Swiss Francs makes it one of the world’s largest research facilities. But CERN represents much more than just the search for the hypothetical Higgs particle; this research facility is the site of new paradigms and new ideas.

The exhibition in the Ars Electronica Center investigates these ideas. Visually, the exhibition is oriented on CERN’s 27-kilometer-long LHC ring, displaying circularly arranged information tools like animated sequences, screens, boards and a proton fountain.