A Shot in the Dark: The Unseen through the Lens of Art
As part of the Art & Science programme of SFB1258, Diogo da Cruz's sculpture A Shot in the Dark, inspired by the CRESST dark matter experiment, was exhibited in the TUM Physics Department from May 2023 to December 2024. (Photos: Constanza Meléndez)
From May 2023 until December 2024, the sculpture A Shot in the Dark by Portuguese artist Diogo da Cruz was on display at the Physics Department of the Technical University of Munich as part of the SFB1258 initiative Art & Science in the TUM Physics Department. Inspired by contemporary dark matter research, the installation invited visitors to reflect on the limits of observation, the search for hidden realities, and the ways scientific instruments shape our understanding of the universe.
Photography, Physics, and the Limits of Observation
The artwork revolves around the CRESST experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy, one of the world's most sensitive searches for dark matter. Although dark matter is believed to constitute a substantial fraction of the matter in the Universe, it has never been directly observed. Drawing on this scientific challenge, Diogo da Cruz proposes an unconventional perspective: what if a dark matter detector could be understood as a new type of photographic camera?
By placing the CRESST experiment within the broader history of photography, A Shot in the Dark explores how technologies of observation shape our concepts of truth and reality. The installation not only reflects the scientific quest to detect one of the Universe's most elusive constituents, but also addresses broader questions about knowledge, uncertainty, and the increasingly complex task of distinguishing truth from absence in contemporary society.
The origins of the project reach back to 2018, when Diogo da Cruz participated in the interdisciplinary art-science activities initiated by SFB1258. During an excursion to the Gran Sasso National Laboratory, he encountered the CRESST experiment and became fascinated by its attempt to reveal something that remains fundamentally invisible. This experience inspired the artistic concept that would eventually become A Shot in the Dark.
From Concept to International Recognition
Installation views of Diogo da Cruz's A Shot in the Dark, presented at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto, from November 2019 to March 2020. (Photos: Diogo da Cruz)
In 2019, the project received international recognition when Da Cruz was selected as one of three finalists for the prestigious Portuguese Novo Banco Revelação Award, a major award supporting emerging artistic production in photography. As part of the award, he received a production grant that enabled the realization of A Shot in the Dark. The installation was subsequently presented at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto as part of the finalists' exhibition, where it was shown from November 2019 to March 2020.
Returning to Its Scientific Origins
The presentation at the TUM Physics Department several years later not only brought the artwork back into the scientific environment from which it emerged, but also highlighted the long-standing dialogue between fundamental physics and contemporary artistic practice fostered by SFB1258. Together with projects such as Radio Amnion, A Shot in the Dark exemplifies how encounters between artists and researchers can generate new perspectives on some of the most profound questions in modern science.
Following its exhibitions in Porto and at the TUM Physics Department, A Shot in the Dark is now on long-term loan from the artist and permanently displayed at the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Garching.
About Diogo da Cruz
Diogo da Cruz is a Portuguese visual artist working across sculpture, installation, and video. Drawing on scientific research, history, and specific geographical contexts, his work explores speculative narratives at the intersection of art, technology, and society. He holds a BA in Sculpture from the University of Lisbon and graduated with distinction from the Academy of Fine Arts Munich (AdBK). Living and working between Berlin and Lisbon, his work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto.
Since 2018, Diogo da Cruz has been closely involved in the art-science activities of SFB1258 and was among the founders of the interdisciplinary initiative SFB42, which brought together art students from the AdBK and researchers and students associated with SFB1258 to explore new dialogues between contemporary art and fundamental physics.
