“Cepheids” permanent exhibition (2016)

The theme of the exhibition are cepheids – pulsating variable stars that astronomers use to determine distances in the Universe, both within the Milky Way, and in relation to distant galaxies. Objects that make up the exhibition have been designed as additional elements to the interior of the dome of the historic observatory of the Astronomical Institute of the University of Wroclaw. The project was based on the scientific achievements of Professor Antoni Opolski. He was an outstanding scientist and educator; his academic career began at the University of Lvov, after World War II he started to work for the rest of his long life in the Astronomical Institute of the University of Wroclaw. Work on cepheids was an important part of his wide research. This is my first project that is not only scientific but also personal, and more specifically family-oriented. The exhibition presents a contemporary interpretation of cepheids seen through the eyes of an artist. A few decades ago the same objects were studied by an astrophysicist, Professor Antoni Opolski, with whom – apart from a fascination in astronomy – I also share family ties.

Objects can be observed only in reality, good documentation of the insides of each of the artworks is impossible. The nature of the pictures is very subtle and naked human eye is needed to capture it.

Casing for the prints were made by Tomasz Balik.