Monumentum

ABOUT

Monumentum rewrites the creation story in a monumental portrayal of humanity through an artistic lens, while capturing the current state of nuclear astrophysics. The prevailing scientific theory is that human life began from supernova explosions and neutron star collisions that created elements, previously non-existent on earth, that rained down on our planet providing the genesis for life.

Though there are still unknown variables to the equation, for this project Studio Korinsky take this theory as fact, and Monumentum interprets the ways in which FRIB, the most powerful accelerator in the world, may be able to answer these questions. Using generative AI, the artist maps visual representations of the data into human forms.

During the final moments before uniting, the stars emit a scream-like frequency that is within the hearing range for humans — a remarkable happenstance. Alongside the AI visualizations are audio recordings Studio Korinsky has made of the accelerator to mimic the moment of the neutron star merger. While visitors experience the visual representations, they will be immersed in ambisonics spinning through the space creating an evocative spatialization.

Studio Korinsky would like to thank Patrick Taylor, Simon Rydén, Stefan Kwint for support creating the installation, and they also note that scientific supervision was conducted by Pablo Giuliani and Hendrik Schatz.