Science and Culture: Searching for shared inspiration, artists head to the world's largest science experiment.

The ATLAS particle detector, one of seven at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), records more than 40 million data points every second, answering and spawning numerous inquiries into the mysteries of the universe. Now that information has found an unconventional medium for display: in a new work of installation art. ATLAS researchers agreed to share their data with a visual-arts duo who call themselves Semiconductor: Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt of Brighton in the United Kingdom. The duo visited CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva, in 2015 as part of the Arts@CERN program. CERN hosts scientists—and the occasional artist—from around the world seeking to understand the nature of particles that make up matter. CERN’s LHC, sitting 80 meters below the surface of Switzerland and France, sends protons whizzing through accelerators to detect new particles emitted when the beams smash together. CERN formalized its commitment to the arts in 2011, when it adopted a policy that encourages partnerships with art institutes and support for artists. Arts@CERN has a budget of about US$200,000, from both the laboratory and outside foundations. Since then, the laboratory has invited artists for residencies that allow for various kinds of artist–scientist interactions. Visiting artists have produced projects ranging from films and “sound sculptures” to large-scale installations and contemporary dance choreography. Some even use data in their pieces, as in the case of Semiconductor.