“Dark matter” has been in the news again lately as scientists have begun mapping what they believe is its prevalence across the universe. But they’re not the only ones focused on depicting it. French artist Abdelkader Benchamma has been making intricate drawings of cosmic phenomena for a while now, and his obsession with dark matter reaches its zenith in an installation on view until August 2016 at The Drawing Center in New York City. So what is dark matter exactly? Benchamma sat down with NYU astrophysicist Maryam Modjaz to talk about the challenge of representing it, and the enthusiasm was palpable. [Produced for PRI‘s “Studio 360“.]
Music featured:- “My Wee Cod Piece” – by Howie B.
- “One Day” – by Nobukazu Takemura
- “Such Great Heights” – by The Postal Service
- “The Launching of Big Face” – by Plaid & Bob Jaroc
- “Rise” – by Nightmares on Wax