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Dark Matter Embodied

A Virtual Encounter into the Unseen Universe

“Two people wearing VR headsets face each other as a glowing galaxy visualization appears between them in a dark room.”
Image of participants observing gravitational lensing in a Bullet Cluster, Dennis, D., AI generated image visualization

Thursday, April 23, 2026  

Perform Studio (CFA Room 159)  

April 23, 24, 28, 30, and May 1  

Dark matter is an elusive and visually imperceptible type of matter that envelops the cosmos. How do we make the unseeable... seeable? Theoretical particle physicist, Ian Shoemaker (Associate Professor, College of Science, Department of Physics) along with visual artist, Dustin Dennis (Collegiate Assistant Professor, College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, School of Visual Arts) collaborate to create an immersive Virtual Reality program to communicate the mysterious and exotic topic of dark matter.

Appointments available between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM