Transmutations

I was the lead visual artist for Black (W)hole. The project was supported by a NASA Educational Enhancement grant, as well as by Montana State University, with the aim of creating an immersive, experiential work of black hole science.

Transmutations is a film that surrounds the viewer in Black (W)hole. This stop-motion animation was edited by Cindy Stillwell (filmmaker, MSU) following the documentation of individual layers of my encaustic paintings as I worked on in the studio. The imagery refers to Einstein equations that describe the physics of black holes yet were written almost 100 years before black holes were theoretically proven to exist. Morphing software was used to shapeshift images of starfields to the chalkdust of Einstein's blackboard behind his desk at Princeton. This imagery echoes the coalescence of understanding contained in the mathematical equations that gradually dissolves back into the mystery of the night sky.

The black hole animation projected on the floor of the Black (W)hole installation was edited by Christopher O’Leary (artist & animator, UCLA) in collaboration with The Einstein Collective.

More information on Black (W)hole may be found at blackwhole.montana.edu and on the Celebrating Einstein events at celebratingeinstein.org