Orla Fox

As part of my research towards transdisciplinary practice, particularly in the crossover between art and astronomy, I visited an exhibition in London called Quantum Untangled (2026). The exhibition was made up of installations based on the interrelationship between the quantum world and how it can affect the Universe on a Cosmological scale. Nicolescu in his book Science, Meaning & Evolution: The Cosmology of Jacob Boehme writes regarding transdisciplinarity:

An interesting example is the recent birth of a new truly transdisciplinary branch of science – quantum cosmology. As its name indicates, this new science is based on the idea of the unity between two scales of nature which were considered, until just a few years ago, as completely different – the quantum scale and the cosmological scale.

(1991, p. 62-63)

Due to the complexities of both subjects and their impalpable nature, artistic representation is key for disseminating scientific research in a newly emerging transdisciplinary boundary.

The installation that stood out to me most of all was Begriff Des Körpers (2025) by artist Monica C. Locascio: multiple mesh-like sculptures made of copper thread suspended from the ceiling. These works naturally drew me in due to the use of copper, which I am exploring within my own practice with my sculptural interpretation of a Supernova. The work illustrates the use of poetic language and metaphor in Cosmology, for example, spacetime being described as a fabric: the sculptures are a materialisation of this. The use of metaphor is something I have talked about with Professor Andy Newsam and the uses of it in his work in science outreach and the benefits of it in art and astronomy practice. What has always enticed me to Astrophysics is its visual language that allow me to imagine how it might exist and how I can make it tangible in my own practice, as I have done with Black Holes, Dark Matter and materiality of light.

One of the things I noticed about the exhibition in its entirety, was the engagement of those visiting, everyone seemed genuinely intrigued, perhaps due the works immersive nature and/ or public interest in Cosmology, particularly in the science communication through creative outcomes. This exhibition has given me more to think about in terms of installation and making of my sculptural work, as well as, acted as encouragement in seeing a visibly keen audience in regards to art inspired by cosmology. The interdisciplinary crossover of Art and Cosmology, as well as the transdisciplinary nature of Quantum Cosmology, continues to spark public interest.