Path. 15, Cosmic Strangers

Path. 15, Cosmic Strangers is a public artwork by Boedi Widjaja that builds on his multi-year research into cosmic ray muons*. Intersecting the disciplines of particle physics, photography, poetry and sound art, the installation—in the subterranean Orchard MRT Station Exit 10—meditates on the invisible traces of distance, movement and borders in the spaces of encounter with the other. Cosmic Strangers presents a live tracker that senses muons in real-time, alongside photographs of the invisible particles—described by eminent physicist Prof. Hiroyuki Tanaka of the University of Tokyo as the "first fine art muography" he has seen. Featuring poetry by Tse Hao Guang and sound by Jonathan Yip of Paper Divers, the art-science project is produced by Audrey Koh.

* Muons are particles created when cosmic radiation hits Earth’s atmosphere; millions traverse our bodies each day. Muons are material proof of Einstein's theory of relativity, as time slows significantly for the near-light-speed particles.