Jeweled Net of the Vast Invisible is a visualization of the distribution of dark matter in the universe, based on data from a massive billion-particle computer simulation. The installation features a continuously running multi-channel video projection in a twenty-foot high, 140-degree panorama and acoustic environment, immersing viewers in the vast jeweled spaces and sonic structures derived from the billion data points simulating the evolution of dark matter structures throughout the cosmos. In the May 2015 installation, viewers will fly through a simulation of dark matter in the process of evolving from its random and diffuse distribution immediately after the Big Bang to the clustered cosmic web of the modern universe -- all while experiencing an immersive sonic environment of music inspired by those spaces.

This installation coincides with the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Collaboration Meeting, bringing 150 scientists from around the globe to the UM campus. DES is in its second year of a five-year survey on the Blanco telescope in Chile, mapping the southern skies in an effort to understand the nature of dark energy that now dominates our universe: they aim to see hundreds of millions of galaxies and thousands of exploding stars. At the May 12 reception, members of the community and scientists attending the collaboration meeting are invited to exchange ideas and inspire one another while they experience the installation together.

Jeweled Net of the Vast Invisible is an Art/Science collaboration funded by the University of Michigan MCubed seed grant program. The team is comprised of Gregory Tarlé (Department of Physics), Stephen Rush (School of Music, Theatre and Dance), Jim Cogswell (Stamps School of Art and Design), Brian Nord (Fermilab) along with graduate students Jason Eaton (Computer Science) and Simon Alexander-Adams (Music, Theater, and Dance). Made possible through the generous contributions of Tom Bray, Converging Technologies Consultant at the University.

Documentary video of 2014 installation: http://vimeo.com/94880205
Interview with collaborative team: http://vimeo.com/95219150