Yonder
Yonder | Art•Science | Niels Bohr Institute is a program conceived as a playground for discovery – a place “out there” in the far distance, where artistic and scientific methodologies intersect. Through dialogue and experimental methodologies that combine scientific inquiry with aesthetic imagination, Yonder fosters hybrid forms of research and co-creation that challenge the boundaries of accustomed knowledge, both in science – particularly physics – and art.
Yonder inspires true co-creation by changing the way we think about interdisciplinarity and hybrid forms of knowledge, exploring how merging artistic inquiry with scientific methodology can deepen our understanding of the universe. We want to bridge artistic practice with scientific disciplines, including physics, astronomy, and quantum mechanics among others to open pathways for new research formats, where curiosity and playfulness become part of a shared language and a co-evolving field of discovery. Yonder moves beyond the traditional model of “artists interpreting science or scientists using art for outreach”.
Yonder offers a residency programme for artists, thinkers and scientists to develop new methods of inquiry that blur the boundaries between art and science. We provide dedicated workspaces, ArtScience mentorship programs, and opportunities for public engagement.
Yonder is interested in establishing collaborations with university departments, art institutions, and initiatives aligned with our vision.
A Black Hole Calling Us
Date: Apr 1 – Oct 1, 2026
Locations: ARoS, Aarhus; Trapholt Museum, Kolding; MAPS, Køge.
Participants: Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm in collaboration with scientists from DARK.
"A Black Hole Calling Us" is a large-scale interactive installation that invites visitors on a journey toward – and into – a black hole. From above, the work forms a circular constellation of LED screens, a luminous threshold marking the event horizon: the boundary around a black hole where gravity becomes so strong that nothing – not even light – can escape. A point of no return, where time and space collapse into darkness and bend toward the unknown.
Black holes are among the most extreme and mysterious phenomena in the cosmos. They are forces of destruction that swallow everything that comes too close – stars, dust, even light – yet they are also vital engines of cosmic creation, shaping galaxies and influencing the evolution of the universe.
In the work, black holes become cosmic mirrors that invite us to contemplate the physics of black holes, but also to reflect on our own position in the vast, evolving universe – our fragility, our curiosity, and our longing to understand what lies beyond the limits of perception.
Learn more about the project here: https://www.aros.dk/en/art/upcoming-exhibitions/a-black-hole-calling-us-cecilie-waagner-falkenstroem/
Light Echoes
Date: Oct 2 – Jan 3, 2027
Locations: Rundetaarn, Copenhagen.
Participants: Jo Verwohlt & Pieter Maria Steyaert (DK/BE), Ligia Bouton (USA), Lea Porsager (DK), and Semiconductor (UK), working in dialogue with astrophysicists from DARK – the cosmology research unit at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen – including Jo Verwohlt, Jens Hjorth, Clara Ferreira Cores, Christa Gall, Marianne Vestergaard, and Radosław Jan Wojtak, among others. Curated by Irene Campolmi, Curator at Large, Yonder Art•Science | Niels Bohr Institute.
"Light Echoes" is both an exhibition and a research project that proposes a shift in how we understand time, visibility, and cosmic knowledge. Drawing on contemporary astrophysics and historical observation, the exhibition approaches light not merely as a carrier of information but as an active agent that shapes how humans perceive, measure, and experience time.
From the rediscovery of Tycho and Sophie Brahe’s 1572 Stella Nova through its light echo in 2008 to contemporary models of dark matter and cosmic voids, the exhibition explores the universe as a layered field of phenomena unfolding across multiple temporalities – simultaneous in origin, yet perceived at different moments rather than as a linear sequence of events. By transforming scientific research into immersive spatial, sonic, and visual experiences, "Light Echoes" invites visitors to adopt a cosmological perspective on light and time – one in which past and present coexist, meaning emerges through light’s long journeys across space and time, and what we can see is not necessarily what we know.
Learn more about the project here: https://www.rundetaarn.dk/en/event/light-echoes-2/
Interference
Date: Feb 10 – May 7, 2023
Locations: Nikolaj Kunsthal, Copenhagen.
Participants: Jo Verwohlt & Signe Heinfelt.
"Interference" is an ArtScience project exploring how sensory and emotional experiences of light and sound intersect with scientific knowledge. The project, funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, featured eight light and sound installations each grounded in physical and astronomical wave phenomena. he exhibition explores the emotional and sensory dimensions of waves in physics. The artworks are presented in a dynamic display as if they were experiments activated by the interaction with the visitors. They unfold how waves interact with matter across space and time, offering experiential encounters with abstract scientific ideas.
The title "Interference" refers both to a physical wave phenomenon – where multiple waves interact to form complex patterns – and to the metaphorical oscillation and exchange of information between art and science, theory and experience, observer and installation. Waves carry information about atoms, black holes, and the history of the universe, and shape our everyday perception through light and sound. The exhibition therefore investigates light as a primary carrier of astrophysical knowledge. While physics can describe the behaviour of waves, it cannot explain how colour, sound, or resonance are felt. "Interference" positions art and science as complementary ways of engaging with these phenomena, using light and sound as mediators between knowledge and experience.
Learn more about the project here: https://nikolajkunsthal.kk.dk/en/exhibitions/signe-heinfelt-jo-verwohlt-interference
Yet, It Moves!
Date: May 12 – Dec 30, 2023
Locations: Copenhagen Contemporary, Copenhagen and public spaces.
Participants: Ryoji Ikeda, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Jenna Sutela, Ligia Bouton, Helene Nymann, Nina Nowak, Jens Settergren, Black Quantum Futurism (Camae Ayewa & Rasheedah Phillips), Cecilia Bengolea, and Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm. Curated by: Irene Campolmi in collaboration with Copenhagen Contemporary.
"Yet, It Moves!" is a three-year curatorial research and exhibition project (2020–2023) developed by curator Irene Campolmi and Copenhagen Contemporary, in collaboration with four international research partners: DARK (Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen), Arts at CERN (Geneva), Interacting Minds Centre (Aarhus University), and ModLab (University of California, Davis).
The project investigated movement as a fundamental condition of the universe, connecting atomic, human, and cosmic scales. Conceived as an evolving laboratory, "Yet, It Moves!" explored how to develop new methodologies for collaboration between artists and scientists, treating curating as an experimental process in which knowledge was co-produced through residencies, workshops, performances, and exhibitions.
The 2023 exhibition at Copenhagen Contemporary, extending into public sites across Copenhagen – including the Inner City, Copenhagen Airport, Nørrebro, and BLOX – featured works created by the artists, in close dialogue with astrophysicists, cognitive scientists, and technologists, to translate complex scientific phenomena – such as gravitational waves, quantum movement, neural patterns, and cosmic expansion – into immersive sensory experiences.
The title references Galileo’s assertion “Eppur si muove” (“And yet, it moves”), affirming movement as an irreversible condition shaping both the universe and human experience. Positioned at the intersection of art and science, "Yet, It Moves!" invited audiences into a shared space of inquiry, where abstract scientific concepts were rendered experiential and perceptible.
The project was made possible with generous support from The Bikuben Foundation – Vision Exhibition Award; Det Obelske Familiefond; Audemars Piguet Contemporary; Carlsbergs Mindelegat for Brygger J.C. Jacobsen; The Danish Arts Foundation; FRAME Finland; Goethe-Institut Dänemark; The Embassy of the United States of America in Denmark; City of Copenhagen, Culture and Leisure Administration; William Demant Foundation; Koda Kultur; Almine Rech Gallery; Kvadrat Stilling.
In Partnership with:
The Skjolds Plads Urban Renewal Project; The Copenhagen Cultural District; The Royal Danish Theatre – Ofelia Plads; HAM Helsinki Art Museum / Helsinki Biennial 2023; Performa New York (EER: Experimenting, Experiencing, Reflecting); Clear Channel; Bloom.
Learn more about the project here: https://copenhagencontemporary.org/en/yet-it-moves/