Arts at CERN and the
Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia are delighted to announce the extension of the Connect collaboration framework and the launch of a new edition: Connect Argentina. This dual residency programme has selected Argentinian artist Juan Sorrentino and Swiss artist Céline Manz to undertake a shared residency split between CERN and the
Pierre Auger Observatory, organised in partnership with the
Presente Continuo – Arts & Science Programby the Fundación Bunge y Born and the Fundación Williams. Connect Argentina offers artists a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in two scientific and cultural settings, cultivating new artistic perspectives through engagement with research communities in Switzerland and Argentina.
Launched in 2021,
Connect has established itself as a vital platform for artistic experimentation in connection with fundamental science. With its framework extended until 2028, the programme has strengthened its mission to foster dialogue between artists and scientists through residencies at CERN and other international laboratories. Connect will support two dual residencies each year. In each edition, one artist from Switzerland and one from the partner country will share residencies at CERN and a partner scientific institution, supported by Arts at CERN and local cultural organisations.
This edition brings together two world-leading institutions dedicated to fundamental physics. At CERN, scientists and engineers probe the constituents of matter using the world’s most complex accelerators and detectors. On the
pampas of western Argentina, the Pierre Auger Observatory studies high-energy cosmic rays from outer space.
“I am delighted to renew our long-term partnership with Pro Helvetia through the launch of Connect Argentina, marking the start of a new cycle of dual residencies. This collaboration fosters transnational and intercultural exchange, providing a unique platform for the arts to engage in meaningful dialogue with fundamental scientific research,” explains Giulia Bini, Head of Arts at CERN.
Juan Sorrentino is a Buenos-Aires-based sound artist and experimental musician. He creates sonic sculptures and installations that explore visual language, nature, poetry and collective imagination. His project, entitled
Cherenkov Tides – ψ(r,t), reinterprets cosmic and subatomic phenomena through sound, vibration and light. In collaboration with particle physicists and astrophysicists, he will explore new materialisations of sound and design sonification algorithms to create a perceptual environment of the invisible matter of the Universe.
Céline Manz is a research-based, multidisciplinary artist based in Basel. Drawing on theory, archives and experimentation, her practice focuses on the mediation of power relations through cultural practices. Her proposal,
Echoes from the Void, connects scientific research on cosmic rays at both institutions with a critical historiography of knowledge politics in physics. Centring on the contributions of scientists Marietta Blau and Bibha Chowdhuri, the work combines field recordings, early photographic records and physics data sonification to interlace historical and contemporary scientific inquiry through sonic and somatic experience.
The residency will begin in autumn 2025 with a three-week stay in Argentina, split between Buenos Aires and the Pierre Auger Observatory. In early 2026, the artists will continue their research with a three-week residency at CERN.
“We are pleased to mark the ninth edition of Connect, which deepens our ongoing collaboration with Arts at CERN. The residency programme invites artists from diverse backgrounds to engage with processes of societal innovation, while nurturing a growing global network of artists, scientists and technologists who collectively explore the frontiers of art, science and cultural dialogue,” says Leonie Thalmann, Head of Global Encounters and Initiatives at Pro Helvetia.
The jury was composed of Fabiana Barreda, artist; Giulia Bini, Head of Arts at CERN, Geneva; Alejandrina D’Elia, General Coordination at Presente Continuo, Buenos Aires; Lucie Kolb, Professor of Critical Publishing, Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW; Pablo La Padula, artist; Yasmin Naderi Afschar, co-director of the Migros Museum of Contemporary Art, Zurich; and Silvana Spadaccini, General Coordination at Presente Continuo, Buenos Aires.