Shifting Worlds, Talks

Cosmic rays are among the oldest and most energetic messengers reaching the Earth. Originating from distant astrophysical events, they travel across immense dimensions of space and time, carrying information from regions of the universe that remain far beyond direct human observation. While physics seeks to understand their origin, composition and behaviour, these invisible particles also invite broader reflections on human perception, uncertainty and the ways knowledge can emerge.

This conversation brings together experimental nuclear physicist Piet Van Duppen and the Brussels-based art studio LAb[au] to explore the encounter between scientific inquiry and artistic research. Moving from the scientific challenge posed by the question "When Relativity Should Not Exist” to the artistic proposition "From Sense to Sense," the dialogue examines how each develops distinct yet complementary ways of observing, interpreting and rendering invisible phenomena perceptible. From the limits of rational understanding to the imaginative construction of meaning, cosmic rays are approached not only as physical particles but also as catalysts for new forms of worldmaking.

Through the lens of the installation oh my god and the public art project Source of Uncertainty, the discussion navigates the space between observation and interpretation, measurement and experience, science and imagination. It proposes uncertainty not as a lack of knowledge, but as a productive condition through which new ways of perceiving and understanding our relationship with the universe may emerge.