Solid Void

Solid Void makes visible the invisible. Neutrinos: ghost particles that could unlock the secrets of the universe.

Right now, there are more than ten billion of these little particles passing through the tip of your finger. However, they don't interreact with us at all, as if our solid bodies are a void. They are abundant in the universe but their purpose is still unknown.

For Vendel & de Wolf, the starting point was the frightening realisation they both shared as children when they learned that the world is made up of particles. As adults, that fear transforms into a fascination and curiosity for physics and the universe.

The Amsterdam duo imagines the invisible particles as they randomly pass through a piece of matter. They fly though a cube made with a hundred slats of aluminium interwoven with lines of aquamarine light.

Typical in much of their light artworks is use of programable LED strips. Whether an enormous bonfire, falling stars or a swirling black hole, the physical LEDs, each digital, come together to represent something natural. And that's achieved through the randomness of the programming. Each strip is independent, operating at its own intervals and speeds, resulting in a composition that is just as uncontrollable as the neutrinos themselves.

With every generation there is something new to understand about our universe. The developments in the sciences contribute to the ever-growing book of knowledge about the world around us. But that first step is wonder and imagination. Solid Void is one such imagination, an attempt to grasp the yet ungraspable.

About the Artist

Artists Paul Vendel (1964) and Sandra de Wolf (1966) met during their studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and have been working ever since. Their work, mostly installations, is often located in (semi) public spaces and is usually made especially for that location. The artists favour the use of recognizable and existing objects or materials. For Vendel and De Wolf their work does not have to be instantly recognizable as art, they strive to appeal to a wide audience.

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Copyright

© Janus van der Eijnden