Installed as part of Glow exhibition at the Exploratorium, San Francisco, Supersymmetry (first realized in 2018) greeted visitors at the gallery entrance.
The work explores optical transformation and the physical behavior of light, continuing to investigate particle physics principles through sculptural optics and projected light, now experienced in dialogue with other works in the exhibition.
Exhibition Wall Text (curator-authored)
Akiko Yamashita
Supersymmetry, 2018
Delight in prismatic color inspired by particle physics.
The artist drew inspiration for this work from her favorite book, The Lightness of Being, by Frank Wilczek. In particle physics, supersymmetry is a theory that would help resolve problems with the so-called Standard Model. The theory states that each subatomic particle has a partner particle that we haven’t yet observed.
This artwork is made from a sculptural brass body that contains three, single-color LEDs. As the light travels through curved glass lenses and thin-film filters, it separates into different wavelengths, which then converge on the projected surface.
Details
Title: Supersymmetry
Year: 2018
Medium: Glass lens, LED, Brass
Exhibitions
GLOW, November 21, 2024–January 26, 2025, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
FUTRA presents Kinetic, August 11 2018, Jason Vass Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
