Particle/Wave
An immersive multimedia experience in the planetarium dome
"The Universe has spoken and we have understood."
David Blair, astrophysicist at the UWA and LIGO collaboration member.
Particle/Wave is an exploration of art and science showcased under the spectacular dome of the planetarium. Poets, musicians, sound and video artists – alongside renowned scientists – have collaborated to present a creative glimpse of the incredible story of gravitational waves.
Over one hundred years ago Albert Einstein suggested gravitational waves could be a natural outcome of his general theory of relativity, which states that very massive objects distort the fabric of space and time—an effect we perceive as gravity.
Gravitational waves are the ripples in that spacetime, traveling away from their original source: exploding stars, collisions between neutron stars, merging black holes or a single star rotating briskly and irregularly. These waves are washing over Earth all the time, but our instruments have not been sensitive enough to detect them until recently. This breakthrough has been recognised with the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics.
Theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking said, ‘Gravitational waves provide a completely new way of looking at the universe.’ How do we observe this discovery through the lens of humanity? What stories do gravitational waves tell?
With writers ALICIA SOMETIMES, KRISSY KNEEN, MAXINE BENEBA CLARKE, LISA GORTON, OMAR MUSA, JORDIE ALBISTON and sound artists ANDREW WATSON, CAMILLA HANNAN and NAT BATES and video by ANDREW WATSON, ISOBEL KNOWLES, BENJAMIN PORTAS, MARK MYERS, CARL KNOX, DEE MASON and SAR RUDDENKLAU. Scientists: KATIE MACK, KENDALL ACKLEY, ALAN DUFFY and LING SUN.
Director and producer: Alicia Sometimes
Co-producer & Musical Director: Andrew Watson
With support from OzGrav, Museums Victoria, Creative Victoria, Australia Council and Hobsons Bay City Council.
PARTNERS:
THE ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DISCOVERY (OzGrav)
A new window of discovery.
A new age of gravitational wave astronomy.
One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein produced one of the greatest intellectual achievements in physics, the theory of general relativity. In general relativity, spacetime is dynamic. It can be warped into a black hole. Accelerating masses create ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves (GWs) that carry energy away from the source. Recent advances in detector sensitivity led to the first direct detection of gravitational waves in September 2015. This was a landmark achievement in human discovery and heralded the birth of the new field of gravitational wave astronomy.
The mission of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) is to capitalise on the historic first detections of gravitational waves to understand the extreme physics of black holes and warped spacetime, and to inspire the next generation of Australian scientists and engineers through this new window on the Universe.
OzGrav is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence funding scheme, and is a partnership between Swinburne University (host of OzGrav headquarters), the Australian National University, Monash University, University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne, and University of Western Australia, along with other collaborating organisations in Australia and overseas.
OzGrav is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence funding scheme, and is a partnership between Swinburne University (host of OzGrav headquarters), the Australian National University, Monash University, University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne, and University of Western Australia, along with other collaborating organisations in Australia and overseas.
Museums Victoria
Museums Victoria is Australia’s largest public museum organisation. They have been creating knowledge, entertaining visitors and building the State Collection since 1854. The collection is an invaluable record of Victoria’s environmental and cultural history, and their amazing wealth of over 17 million items has been inspiring a sense of wonder and awe in visitors for generations.
Melbourne Planetarium at Scienceworks
A planetarium presents a simulated display of the night sky that allows people to enjoy the wonder of the stars in a comfortable environment regardless of the time of day—or the weather.
The Melbourne Planetarium is located at Scienceworks Museum in Spotswood. It features a 16m domed ceiling, reclining seats, a 7.1 surround sound system and a full-dome video projection system. The result is spectacular colour and movement like never before, creating a unique immersive environment and awe-inspiring astronomical experience.
https://museumsvictoria.com.au
FAQ
Is Particle/Wave suitable for children?
We recommend Particle/Wave as an experience for teenagers over 16 as the show is mostly intended for an adult audience.
Some younger teenagers with a strong interest in science and sci-fi may also enjoy the show however we do not recommend bringing younger children.
Is there a bar at the show?
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be available pre show.
Is Particle/Wave an educational show?
Particle/Wave is body of artistic multimedia work curated from the contributions of numerous artists and writers responding to the scientific discoveries around gravitational waves. It aims to inspire and take its viewers on a journey. Within itself, Particle/Wave is not intended as educational content although the contributions of the scientists involved will certainly be enlightening.
Are late audience members admitted to the show?
Unfortunately given the darkened nature of the planetarium space, late arrivals cannot be admitted once the show has commenced.
Are there live performed elements to Particle/Wave?
Particle/Wave combines pre-recorded multimedia and narration from a range of artists and scientists combined with both pre recorded and live musical performance during the show.
Where is the Melbourne Planetarium?
The Melbourne Planetarium is located at Scienceworks - 2 Booker St, Spotswood. For more information see: https://museumsvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/visiting/getting-here/
All other questions:
For any other inquires please contact Particle/Wave below: