The Extension of Expansion

Research Project by Valentina Berthelon

What if the boundaries we perceive are not fixed but shift depending on our perspective?
The Extension of Expansion is a generative audiovisual installation that invites people to explore a universe where the self dissolves into ainto a network of subatomic particles. Inspired by quantum physics, stellar data, and indigenous and Eastern traditions, the work reimagines our place within the cosmos.

At the heart of this project is the concept of complementarity, a principle in quantum mechanics that reveals how humans exist simultaneously as physical beings and expansive energy fields. At the human scale, we perceive ourselves as separate bodies, defined by boundaries like skin. However, at the quantum level, these boundaries dissolve. Each of us is composed of the same fundamental particles as everything around us, challenging binary notions of separation. This expanded view of reality echoes the wisdom of spiritual traditions that perceive the self as one with the universe.

Stellar spectrograms serve as a powerful metaphor for exploring complementarity. Spectroscopy, the study of how matter interacts with light is a key tool in astronomy and enables scientists to uncover the hidden properties of celestial objects—their distances, sizes, temperatures, and compositions. In the past, light was separated into colors using prisms. Today, scientists use diffraction gratings to do this. Just as a prism transforms white light into a spectrum, breaking it down into its components, particles transform our understanding of matter, showing that solid objects are not really solid but always changing.

The Extension of Expansion immerses participants in a real-time generative environment created with the Software Touchdesigner. Animated visuals and evolving soundscapes create a quantum boundless space where subatomic particles vibrate at different frequencies. Humans, composed of the same elemental particles, are invited to use their most advanced technology—body, mind, and spirit—to connect with universal cycles and hidden energies around us.

Scientific Collaboration:
For this project, I collaborated with Dr. Antonio S. Hales, a Chilean astrophysicist at the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA).

Dr. Hales provided detailed stellar data, which formed the foundation of the project's audiovisual elements. He also offered essential guidance in interpreting and processing this data, ensuring its accurate transformation into visual representations.

I translated data from seven star types into diverse visual and auditory forms. These stellar fingerprints serve as a key inspiration for this installation, weaving a narrative of cycles and energy

This work utilized the **MELCHIORS** library (*The Mercator Library of High Resolution Stellar Spectroscopy*), a comprehensive collection of high-resolution stellar spectra. We acknowledge the contributions of the MELCHIORS team in providing this valuable resource for stellar astrophysics and spectral analysis. Acces s the MELCHIORS library here: [MELCHIORS – Mercator Library](https://www.royer.se/melchiors.html)