Written for Bergamot Quartet, in collaboration with CNSNC Collective and the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Performed by Bergamot Quartet on November 16, 2020.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Andrew Bohman.

This project is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Jersey City Arts Council, and the Awesome Foundation.

Dark matter is one of the Hubble Space Telescope’s most fascinating discoveries. In 1998, when the HST observed supernovae found at the edge of the universe, its observations showed that contrary to commonly held theories at the time, the expansion of the universe is not slowing down, but is actually accelerating at a rapid rate. The existence of dark matter and dark energy is one possible theory that was created to explain the acceleration of the universe. Dark matter is theorized to be a sort of energy-fluid that, along with dark energy, comprises more than 95% of the entire universe. In addition, because of how dark matter has been observed indirectly through the formation of galaxy clusters, we know that dark matter dictates the structure of the formation of the universe itself.

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The concept of an invisible force that completely surrounds us and is responsible for everything we know is an incredibly profound idea to me, and I hope this piece conveys the tremendous awe and wonder I feel while contemplating the existence of dark matter.

(September 2020)