“Hormesis”
2016
subatomic particle detector and video projection
Hormesis is the hypothesis that low doses of radiation are healthy. This is a controversial theory, because some scientists think that even small amounts cause serious genetic harm. Nuclear radiation is understandably terrifying; the world was traumatized by the atomic bombs dropped by the U.S. in WWII and their global proliferation during the Cold War.
This installation exposes you to gamma radiation emitted from uranium ore. The radioactive decay creates condensation trails in an alcohol cloud similar to what airplanes leave behind in the atmosphere. While the particle detector gives you the opportunity to observe the subatomic world with your own eyes, a video projection shows you the beauty that I find within radioactive decay. Hormesis balances the objective with the subjective, and the terrifying with the beautiful.