“Event Horizon”, which shares its name with an astronomical term that means a theoretical point of no return associated with black holes, is a single channel audiovisual piece that explores light bending as a signifier of the colossal and divine in space and art. Simulated stars and nebulas drift and come in contact with an unseen force that results in a simulated light bending effect called gravitational lensing. A bass score accompanies the visuals, creating a meditative, droning atmosphere. Gravitational lensing, which is closely associated with black holes or nearby galaxies, occurs when the space around an object bends the light surrounding it. This light bending is not only a perceptual phenomena, but can be measured. In black holes, the event horizon can often represent the threshold of that which is knowable and that which is unexplored. In art, light bending is seen in the form of halos around the heads of the divine or highly intelligent. “Perfect” bodies are depicted with light emitting from them and indicate them as important. These real and illustrative instances of light bending remind us of the distance between us and the invisible and immense. “Event Horizon” collapses the figures of divine art and central black hole structure associated with light bending to focus on the moving light that signals the unknowable.

collaborator: Conner Simmons