The technology and science that goes on at CERN is amazing, almost unbelievable, but the thing that I found most intriguing was the way in which buildings and experiments from the past 50 years exist layered upon one another, new upon old. Things that not long ago were cutting edge lie forgotten and dusty while new machines are developed and built alongside or above; the history of the place is laid out so clearly. CERN is full of these contrasts; the sheer physicality of the facility in comparison with the intangibility of the particles that are being looked at. I loved exploring forgotten places at CERN; old tunnels or the locations of decommissioned experiments. They had a feeling of tension and hidden anxiety that I attempted to show in the images that I created.
CERN is seen as a monument to scientific objectivity; the material representation of this being its vast, imposing structure and universal acceptance as the centre for research physics in Europe . I wanted to contrast this with the nature of science as a human endeavor that is intrinsically human and therefore inherently subjective. I wanted to highlight this difference in the work produced and in doing so, celebrate the achievements that individuals have made there over the last 50 years. The people who I met at CERN were, without exception, incredibly helpful and I would like to thank them all.