muse
2014
Format 1: 132 x 202 cm / 52 x 79.5 in, edition of 6 + 2 AP
Format 2: 67 x 102 cm / 26.3 x 40.2 in, edition of 6 + 2 AP
Hybrid photography, archival pigment print, aludibond, diasec, custom-made aluminium frame
“muse” shows the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), a cutting-edge 3D field spectrograph operating in the near-infrared wavelength range. This is an instrument of extraordinary power built to discover objects that lie beyond the reach of even the deepest imaging surveys now available. With its unequaled capacity to observe the universe in volume and depth, MUSE is expected to revolutionize the field of astronomy. It is designed to detect rare photons of galaxies formed in the wake of the Big Bang. In January 2014, MUSE was integrated into the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory at ESO Paranal in Chile.
The artwork "muse" shows the spectrograph during its assembly in the cleanroom at ESO Paranal, and highlights the enormous complexity and technical precision of this instrument – the outcome of ten years of intensive research, development and construction. The artist was privileged to be given a unique opportunity to capture this extraordinary development shortly before it was integrated into the Very Large Telescope.
