Collider POWERHOUSE MUSEUM, SYDNEY

Saturday 6 August – Sunday 30 October, 2016

IMMERSE YOURSELF in a collision between art and science as you step inside the world of experimental particle physics.

Even if you’re well-versed in all groundbreaking Large Hadron Collider (LHC) discoveries, this blend of theatre, video and sound, alongside real European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) artefacts, will offer a unique perspective.

The LHC is all about testing the extremes: subatomic particles hurtle towards each other at near the speed of light. While collisions create temperatures over 100,000 times hotter than the sun’s centre, the LHC’S magnets operate at freezing, near absolute zero, temperatures.

As the world’s largest scientific experiment, the LHC may be intimidating. But this pocket-sized version allows you to get up close and personal.

In Collider, you’ll walk the tunnels and stand right at the heart of a particle collision, following the search for the fundamental building blocks of the universe. It’s set up as a visit to CERN, allowing you to walk through reconstructed LHC spaces. Projections of scientists describe their work and give insight on discoveries, like the Higgs boson, that have changed the face of physics.

The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences curator Andrew Jacob will give tours in August. For the inside scoop on working at CERN, join researchers Mark Scarcella, Yi-ling Hwong or Curtis Black on a tour between 13–21 August.

“It is the greatest experimental endeavour in science,” said Alison Boyle, curator at London’s Science Museum, which hosted the exhibition in 2013.

“The LHC was designed and built to answer a lot of fundamental questions about the Universe – it’s about the value of pure human curiosity and I think that’s something that can inspire everybody.”

Collider is part of the 2016 Sydney Science Festival.