Collider

“Collider” is an artwork formed by hundreds of pencil-beam robotic searchlights that create a glimmering curtain of light, visible from Lulu Island and downtown Abu Dhabi. The lights react in real-time to invisible cosmic radiation that arrives from outer space, originating from stars and black holes. So-called “cosmic rays” are harmful proton and alpha particles that, fortunately, collide with our atmosphere to create less harmful muon particles. These particles are detected by the sensor you see here, which is constructed from adapted Geiger counters. This sensor can detect the angle from where the muons arrive on Earth, and this live information is then translated into the curtain of light.