new exhibition
Tomás Saraceno / Cosmic Threads
Planetarium opens permanent mega-installation by Tomás Saraceno
From 1 November 2024, you can experience a new, transgressive fusion of art, science and technology when Tomás Saraceno presents COSMIC THREADS in Knud Munk's iconic Planetarium at Skt. Jørgens Sø.
The installation marks Saraceno's first permanent work in Denmark and his first collaboration with a planetarium worldwide. In Planetarium's newly renovated Stair Gallery, aesthetics and technology are combined in a unique experience that provokes reflection and curiosity.
Argentine Tomás Saraceno, world-renowned for his spectacular works, has created a complex mega-installation - unique to Planetarium. With COSMIC THREADS, he invites the audience to reflect on the mysteries of the universe and human responsibility for the future of our shared planet. The installation stretches the full height of the Stair Gallery at 25 metres and the full length of 42 metres. The mega installation captures light in a complex network of threads where planets and air pockets float like galaxies - a visual metaphor for the connections between cosmic and earthly structures.
Mette Broksø Thygesen, CEO of Planetarium, says about the collaboration:
‘We are deeply grateful and excited about Tomás Saraceno's unique work. As you move through the installation, which stretches to an impressive height and width, you constantly discover new details and perspectives, thanks to the many levels of the Stair Gallery. Three years ago, we set out to find an artist who could unite science and art and create a work that would put the Copenhagen Planetarium on the world map. With COSMIC THREADS, Saraceno has created a masterpiece that not only unites science, art and technology, but also inspires us to reflect on our own role in the universe and the future of the planet.’
For Saraceno, the opportunity to create a piece for a planetarium has been a lifelong dream:
‘Since my childhood, planetariums all over the world have fascinated me. Their job is to arouse curiosity and wonder about the great cosmic questions. It has been a dream to create a work that not only reinforces this fascination, but also opens up new ways of understanding our place in the universe. COSMIC THREADS is one of my most complex works, inviting the audience to explore the connections between science, art, and our shared future - a future that must be rethought in light of the climate crisis. In the iconic space of Planetarium, the dream has become reality.’
With COSMIC THREADS, Planetarium becomes not only a place where children, young people and adults learn about astronomy and space travel, but also a place for reflection on our common future on Earth. The work creates a ‘space’ for reflection and invites the audience to explore the challenges we face at a time when the climate crisis requires us to rethink our relationship with nature, energy consumption and the countless species we share the planet with.
COSMIC THREADS is the first phase of Planetarium's ambitious permanent exhibition on space travel and space technology; Space T/R. The second phase is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025.
The exhibition has been realised with support from Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond, A.P. Møller Fonden, Augustinus Fonden, Thomas B. Thriges Fond, William Demant Fonden, Otto Mønsteds Fond and Louis Petersens Legat.
