Editor: Arie Altena
Copy Editors: Arie Altena, Mark Poysden
Design: Femke Herregraven, Arthur Roeloffzen
304 pp., 800 g, 17 x 24 cm, English, February 2013
ISBN: 9789081047067

The Dark Universe takes its title from the Sonic Acts Festival 2013, which showcased lectures, works, films, events, and performances centred around the theme of the unknown. Recent developments in science suggest our universe is much weirder and more unfamiliar than we have ever imagined. Yet, as humans, we are naturally drawn to grapple with the mysteries that elude our understanding. This collection of essays extends the festival's theme, tracing a path from the enigmatic universe explored by physics and astronomy to a deeper reflection on humanity and our society on Earth. Along this journey, scientists, theorists, and artists examine phenomenological realities, revealing how artistic practice can serve as a tool to translate the imperceptible and help us imagine dark matters. Interwoven throughout these pages are a series of visual ‘data essays’ by Bitcaves, which delve into the realms of earth-orbiting satellites, space debris, and the infrastructures of global finance.

Contents

Introduction – Arie Altena

From The Darkroom – Mirna Belina

The Search For Dark Matter – Anil Anathaswamy

Félicie D’estienne D’orves: Supernova (Cassiopeia A) – Interview By Arie Altena

Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Big Data, Intimate Data – Roger Malina

A Single Sky: Learning To See The Heavens Through Radio – David P.D. Munns

The Orbiting Gaze – Bitcaves

Cybernetics and The Politics of the Dark Universe – Andrew Pickering

Carl Michael Von Hausswolff: The Ghost Of The Sound – Interview by Peter Bruyn

Fray – Raviv Ganchrow

Justin Bennett: Spectral Analysis – Interview by Arie Altena

★ Matthijs Munnik: Geographies of Flicker – Interview by Arie Altena

Yolanda Uriz Elizalde: To Sway In Sound – Interview by Arie Altena

Black and White – Simon Ings

The Orbiting Gaze – Bitcaves

Gert-Jan Prins: Modulating Noise – Interview by Arie Altena

Matthew Biederman: The Perception of Colour – Interview by Arie Altena

On The Black Universe In Human Foundations Of Colour – François Laruelle

HC Gilje: Time, Space, Speed, Motion – Interview by Nicky Assman

George Dyson: The Dark Digital Universe – Interview by Arie Altena

The Orbiting Gaze – Bitcaves

In Search of the Lost Future – Omar Muñoz-Cremers

Lebbeus Woods: Without Walls – Interview by Geoff Mannaugh

Monuments of Smoke – Bitcaves

★ Visit Sunny Chernobyl – Andrew Blackwell

Saskia Sassen: In the Shadow of its Own Brilliant Light – Interview by Willem Van Weelden

Extrastatecraft – Keller Easterling

Geographies of Avoidance – Bitcaves

Unveiling a Dark Universe – Brigitte van der Sande