Meteorite

Even with the best telescope we can not see dark matter. The only way for us to know that it exists is to study the interaction with its close relative: conventional matter. Pieces of galaxies, stars, and planets travel for millions of years through our universe. During their journey they interact with invisible dark matter. As a result of this interaction, the properties of these pieces change.
Since ancient times people are fascinated by the falling stars. Nowadays we realize that these falling stars contain the secrets of the origin of conventional matter as well as the mystery of dark matter. These falling stars, the meteorites, contain the key to the puzzle of dark matter.
We live in times when image controls our imagination and our perception of reality. From the images that we can find on the NASA website, we can imagine how space looks like. We can even visualize dark matter in our minds, despite our very limited actual knowledge on thus subject. My project “Meteorite” illustrates that the representation of our surroundings no longer depends on the direct experience of reality, but on the interpretation of previously seen images, on representations that already exist. Reality does not precede our experience, but instead it results from intellectual construction. Meteorite stands as a metaphor for our “cosmic curiosity” and the unknown of the universe.
Similar to a scientist that combines results of measurements and calculations to build a model of dark matter, I fuse images of cosmic explosions, which are readily found on the internet, to construct meteorites out of paper. These images that document reality loos their meaning and become abstract objects: illusion. This reflects our knowledge of illusory dark matter that we base on pieces of visible information.
In this project I use photography not to document the real world, but to create a parallel reality.