Human fascination with the night sky and stars has been a constant since the dawn of civilization. Astronomy and astrophysics have provided a scientific framework for understanding the universe's immensity, and this understanding has inspired art and culture. In this context, La Voz Canaria's astrophysics section, coordinated by Adriana de Lorenzo-Cáceres Rodríguez, has frequently discussed galaxy evolution and light as a tool to decipher the cosmos.
Astrophysicist Jairo Méndez Abreu, originally from San Juan de la Rambla, Tenerife, and a professor at the University of La Laguna (ULL), has initiated a "non-scientific experiment" culminating in the exhibition 'ECOS DEL COSMOS: ancestral galaxies revealed'. This display, open at the Museum of Science and the Cosmos in Tenerife until April 27, aims to connect science with other disciplines, particularly art.
The starting point for this initiative is the discovery of CEERS-2112, the most distant barred galaxy observed to date. This finding has challenged previous theories about the formation of spiral galaxies, such as the Milky Way, by demonstrating that similar systems already existed 11.7 billion years ago, when the universe was only 15% of its current age. This paradigm shift in galactic evolution was the central concept sought to be conveyed to the public.
“"This discovery led us to propose a series of concepts related to this paradigm shift in galaxy evolution that seemed necessary to understand its importance, among them: light as a messenger, the reionization of the Universe, the morphology of galaxies, the Milky Way, or the CEERS-2112 galaxy itself."
To achieve this connection, the "Sustainability, Science and Art" (SciArt-UCM) research group from the Complutense University of Madrid was engaged. Artists from this collective transformed scientific concepts into various artistic expressions, including drawings, photographs, digital collage, 3D modeling, acrylics, and watercolors. The result is a series of works that go beyond mere scientific illustration, fostering a visual dialogue between science and art, from metaphors of the universe as galactic melodies to the creation of existential universes populated by "star-people."
The exhibition represents an example of how astronomy and art can unite to offer the public a rigorous yet intimate way of transferring knowledge, enriching the understanding of our place in the cosmos.
