China

Cosmos Archaeology 宇宙考古

When

Location

Event type

Upcoming
October
  • May 18, 2024 — November 17, 2024 China 18 Saturday China
    Exhibition

    Cosmos Archaeology 宇宙考古

    Cosmos Archaeology, Exploring the Universe through Art and Science: Swissnex in China Collaborates on a Captivating New Exhibition Blending Art and Science

    Info & tickets

Swissnex in China has collaborated with EPFL Pavilions from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, and the Shanghai Astronomy Museum to launch a unique exhibition that showcases the wonders of the cosmos. The exhibition will be open from May 18 to September 17, 2024, offering visitors an immersive experience that brings the vastness of astrophysics data into tangible reality. Each installation within the exhibition presents a unique perspective on our understanding of the universe and invites visitors to become cosmic archaeologists, unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos.

of the exhibition

Introduction

Presented by Shanghai Astronomy Museum and EPFL Pavilions in collaboration with Swissnex in China, Cosmos Archaeology brings the latest international achievements at the intersection of art and astronomy to domestic audiences.

Melding art and science, Cosmos Archaeology reveals the depths of the Universe through physical, perceptual and sensory interaction. Harnessing technologies of immersive and interactive visualization and the visual arts, the exhibition transformed the most complex astrophysical data into sounds and images that everyone can experience and understand.

The artworks featured in “Cosmos Archaeology” primarily result from the close collaboration between the humanities and astronomy. It embodies a profound fusion of artistic expression and scientific inquiry, nurturing an international discourse from a celestial vantage point.

The exhibition is co-curated by Sarah Kenderdine from EPFL’s Laboratory for Experimental Museology (eM+) and EPFL Pavilions, Jean-Paul Kneib from EPFL’s Laboratory of Astrophysics (LASTRO), and independent Chinese curator Iris Long. It highlights collaborations between artists and prominent astronomical projects, including the MUST Telescope from Tsinghua University and the Chinese SKA Science Projects led by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory.

The overall goal of this project is to create a platform over several months that inspires the general public about space science and facilitates in-depth dialogues and workshops between international experts on the topics of experimental museology and sustainable space. Moreover, it provides a glimpse into the latest advancements in space science research from both Switzerland and China.

This exhibition is generously supported by Beijing Yuanzhen Culture Co., Ltd, Presence Switzerland, the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Swissnex in China.

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Project Background

In 2022, after two years of research, EPFL’s Laboratory for Experimental Museology (eM+), Laboratory of Astrophysics (LASTRO) and EPFL Pavilions created Cosmos Archaeology: Explorations in Time and Space. The Exhibition broke down the artificial gap between scientific rigour and visual experience to transform imperceptible cosmological data into experiences accessible to human senses. In two years of research, they elaborated a series of customized immersive interfaces specifically for astrophysical data, in the form of interactive data simulation and visualization, immersive projections, 3D film and augmented reality.

Swissnex in China, serving as the bridge connecting Switzerland and China in the frontier fields of science and innovation, initiated the project to showcase the aforementioned exhibition at the Shanghai Astronomy Museum. Swissnex invited Chinese curator Iris Long to curate a brand-new exhibition in China to complement the existing exhibits and engage in dialogue with the original works. Cosmos Archaeology demonstrates the seamless integration of science and arts disciplines, facilitating interdisciplinary exchange and partnership, and showcasing a robust collaboration between Switzerland and China.

Curators

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    Bio

    Sarah Kenderdine

    Director and Lead Curator of EPFL Pavilions; Director, Laboratory for Experimental Museology, EPFL

    Professor Sarah Kenderdine researches at the forefront of interactive and immersive experiences for galleries, libraries, archives and museums. In widely exhibited installation works, she has amalgamated tangible and intangible cultural heritage with new media art practice, especially in the realms of interactive cinema, augmented reality and embodied narrative. Sarah has produced and curated over 100 exhibitions and installations for museums worldwide, including permanent museums in India and Taiwan, and received a number of major international awards for this work. Sarah is a professor at the École Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, where she has built the Laboratory for Experimental Museology (eM+), exploring the convergence of cultural heritage, imaging technologies, immersive visualization, digital aesthetics, and cultural (big) data. Since 2017 Sarah is director and lead curator of EPFL Pavilions. Her upcoming book is Deep Fakes: A Critical Lexicon of Digital Museology (Routledge: 2024).

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    Bio

    Jean-Paul Kneib

    Director, Laboratory of Astrophysics, Director of eSpace Center, EPFL

    Prof. Jean-Paul Kneib has a Master in space technologies and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. He worked as a support astronomer at the European Space Observatory in Chile. He has conducted research in Cambridge (UK), Toulouse, Caltech, and Marseille before coming to EPFL in 2012 with an ERC advanced grant. Prof. Kneib is the Director of the EPFL Space Center since 2017. The center focuses on space sustainability research (technologies for active debris removal, space sustainability rating), and educates the young generation of talents in the space domain through hands-on projects led by students (construction of Rockets, Cube-Sats, Rovers, Telescopes …). Prof. Kneib is also the Director of the EPFL Laboratory of Astrophysics since 2016. He is scientifically renowned for his work on gravitational lensing and the mapping of the Universe in 3D thanks to redshift surveys. He has been the principal investigator of the SDSS-IV/eBOSS project from 2011 to 2018. He has led the construction of the fiber positioner robotic system for the SDSS-V project and is now working on the miniaturization of these robots for future cosmological projects, including the  Multiplex Survey Telescope led by Tsinghua University. He is also the Swiss Science Delegate at the Square Kilometre Array Observatory.

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    Bio

    Iris Long

    Swissnex Fellow, Curator and Writer

    Iris Long is a writer, independent curator and Berggruen Fellow. Her recent work has been focused on the critical infrastructures in China, fundamental science and art. Iris Long is also a Swissnex Fellow.

  • Take a glimpse into Cosmos Archaeology

  • Moments of Discovery

    Recap of the Cosmos Archaeology Exhibition Opening Week

  • Inside the Artist’s Mind and their Creative Journey

    Exploration of the stories behind the artist's exhibits and how they integrated astrophysical data into their creations

  • Interview with the Curators

    Discover Cosmos Archaeology through the interview with the Curators Sarah Kenderdine, Jean-Paul Kneib, and Iris X Long.

News

Exhibits & Artists

    Star Mapping Sculpture

    Pascal Bettex (Switzerland)

    Army of Robots

    LASTRO Astrobots (Switzerland)

    A Sign in Space

    Daniela de Paulis (ltaly)

    Space Time Elastic

    LASTRO, eM+ (Switzerland)

    Virtual Orbital Visit

    LASTRO, eM+ (Switzerland)

    Spectral Constellations

    Semiconductor (UK)

    NOAA

    Liu Xin 刘昕 (China)

    Archaeology of Light

    LASTRO, eM+ (Switzerland)

    Planet Chronicle

    Shi Zheng 施政 (China)

    Falling back to Earth

    Makar Tereshin (Russia)

    Venusian Rover

    Lily Hibberd (France)

    The Secret World of Space Junk

    Project Adrift (Cath Le Couteur, Nick Ryan) (UK)

    Earthly Debris Cabinet

    Nick Ryan (UK)

    Dark Cloud of Debris

    Theodore Kruczek (USA)

    Fragmented Echos

    Shi Zheng 施政 (China)

    SKA Simulator

    eM+ (Switzerland)

    The Dynamic Universe

    LASTRO, eM+ (Switzerland)

    Orbits Triptychon

    Quadrature (Germany)

    The Cambrian Period

    Cao Shu 曹澍 (China)

    Twelve Minutes Forty Seconds

    Florian Voggeneder (Austria)

    Particle Horizon

    Lita Albuquerque (USA)

    Cosmic Collisions

    eM+ (Switzerland)

    The Silent Pulsar of the Universe

    Ben Proudfoot (Canada)

    Mass

    June Balthazard and Pierre Pauze (France)

    Meteorite Storm

    EPFL and Shanghai Astronomy Museum (Switzerland and China)
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Organizers & Partners