COSMOS_ Design from here and beyond_ 24.10.21 - 27.02.22
CID_ Center of Innovation and Design
Grand Hornu_ Bossu_ Belgium
Ever since the dawn of humankind, the universe has been the deepest source of wonder and beauty. From Albert Einstein to Werner Heisenberg, many physicists have commented on the fascinating beauty of the cosmos, its simplicity and elegance, its mathematical underpinnings. Stars, spiral nebulae, exoplanets, gravitational waves, big bang, black holes, dark matter, the multiverse... The countless objects and cosmic phenomena that shape our universe offer as many sources of inspiration for literature, music, visual and live arts... Design is no exception to this fascination. This «Cosmos» exhibition reveals the work of designers and artists who have conceptually, technically or poetically explored our universe’s architecture and the hidden physical laws that govern it. The exhibition also shows through the dissemination of objects, that design participates in acquisition of knowledge and collective imagination.
To offer some idea of the scale of the subject matter, one room – the impressive Magasin aux Foins (Haystore) – guides us from the microcosm to the macrocosm. Next, in the Écuries (Stables), a new section considers our cosmic neighbourhood: the Solar System. Then we zoom out and dive into more distant galaxies, where we discover the laws of physics that govern our own. The final section showcases designers’ interest in mining the extra-terrestrial.
Designed by the Lebanese architects Ghaith and Jad, the scenography illustrates Einstein’s general relativity, the curvature of spacetime caused by massive objects, and the energy it contains. This distortion is subtly visible on the surface of pedestals that are slightly curved by the weight of the object they hold.
Curators _Thomas Hertog et Marie Pok
Scenography _GHAITH&JAD
Texts _Shahrazad Ameur, Thomas Hertog, Marie Pok
Translations _Shahrazad Ameur, Marc Holthof, Right-Ink
Visual identity _Ekta
Adaptations _Virginie Stoquart
Logistics _David Marchal
Photography _Caroline Dethier
CID team _Martine Acar, Shahrazad Ameur, Marine Babic, Dominique Blondiau, Sophia Bouarfa, Aubane Brebant, Jeoffrey Bultez, David Buyle, Giuseppe Cannella, Laetitia Centritto, Maryvonne Colle, Matteo De Felice, Brigitte Delattre, Gaëtan Delehouzée, Véronique Demebski, Filip Depuydt, Massimo Di Emidio, Françoise Foulon, Sophie Gallez, Céline Ganty, Loïc Goemaes, Marianne Jayé, Laurence Lelong, Hervé Liénard, Zoé Luc, Maxime Mairesse, David Marchal, Vincenzo Mauro, Justine Mertens, Jean-François Paternoster, Thierry Pochet, Carine Saber, Matteo Sciullo, David Vilain, Maryse Willems, David Vilain, Maryse Willems.
