Into boundless space I leap: New Art, Dance and Science Interacting at the Maxwell Centre

About

The Maxwell Centre is a new building for pioneering scientific research and industrial partnership in the University of Cambridge, inspired by the remarkable physicist James Clerk Maxwell. Maxwell was the first Cavendish Professor of Physics in Cambridge and a fellow of Trinity College; his discoveries include the unification of electromagnetic and light waves. As Einstein said ‘One scientific epoch ended and another began with James Clerk Maxwell’. From mobile phones to television, radio, and radar, we owe much of our current technology to Maxwell’s discoveries. In the spirit of Maxwell, the new Centre is designed to foster creative and fundamentally ground breaking science discoveries and partner with industry to translate these to technological applications.

‘Into boundless space I leap’ is a special exhibition and series of events celebrating the opening of the Maxwell Centre.

The exhibition presents work by fourteen contemporary artists of international standing, including sculpture, video, installation and painting. The art works, which include new commissions, have been selected or created in response to the new Centre’s ethos of scientific discovery and collaboration. The exhibition reflects the physical sciences space as one of experiment, interaction, and ideas – creating the future. James Clerk Maxwell used art and poetry as an expression of his scientific research, and the title of the exhibition is taken from one of his poems. Visitors can explore the artworks installed throughout the new building.

New commissions include a large-scale graphic text work by Mark Titchner using Maxwell’s words and pieces by Rana Begum and Laura Buckley. Visitors will also encounter Peter Fischli and David Weiss’s iconic, compelling film following a series of chain reactions between everyday objects. Also on display are drawings by Edward Wilson (1872 – 1912), a number of Maxwell’s original scientific instruments and the outcomes from a Nano⌃Art project. A specially commissioned new dance and sound piece by choreographer Wayne McGregor in collaboration with artist Haroon Mirza will be performed on 9 April, find out more.

Artists: Rana Begum, Laura Buckley, Benedict Drew, Fischli/Weiss, Ulyana Gumeniuk, Issam Kourbaj, Wayne McGregor,  Gustav Metzger, Haroon Mirza, Eugenio Polgovsky, Paul Purgas, Hito Steyerl, Mark Titchner and Edward Wilson (1872-1912).

‘Into boundless space I leap’ is organised by Kettle’s Yard in association with the Maxwell Centre. Exhibition curated by Guy Haywood, Assistant Curator, Kettle’s Yard.