Cosmoparticle

Commissioned by University College London as part of the Cosmoparticle Initiative, Cosmoparticle responds to the deep interconnections between cosmology and particle physics. In developing the painting, Anderson undertook months of close consultation with Professor Hiranya Peiris, Andrew Pontzen of UCL’s Astrophysics Group, and Chamkaur Ghag of the High Energy Physics Group. Immersing herself in their research, she translated complex scientific ideas into a visual language that is both rigorous and poetic.

Constructed from six distinct layers of paint, each overlaying and interacting with the next, the composition evokes multiple cosmic phenomena: the tracks of charged particles, the filamentary scaffolding of dark matter, the afterglow of cosmic background radiation, the gradual emergence of galaxies, and the rippling passage of gravitational waves. To suggest the birth of the universe, Anderson incorporated imagery derived from MRI scans of human brain blood vessels, drawing a subtle parallel between cosmic and biological networks.

“As I layered the paint,” the artist explains, “I literally used my brush to ‘pull’ galaxies through from the first layer of paint to the next. In this way I wanted to create a feeling of connection between regular matter and dark matter.”

Amid these sweeping structures, viewers may discover playful and contemplative details: bubble universes, galaxy clusters, black holes, neutron stars, pulsars, intricate geometric forms — and, discreetly placed to one side, the enigmatic monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. These elements situate scientific inquiry within a broader cultural imagination of space and time.

Anderson recalls the words of Peiris and Pontzen — “out of complexity comes simplicity” as a guiding refrain. The painting embodies this principle: from layered intricacy emerges a striking visual coherence.