On April 10, 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration released the first image of a black hole — a shadow at the heart of galaxy M87, 55 million light years from Earth. It took an Earth-sized array of synchronized radio telescopes, years of data processing, and the coordinated effort of hundreds of scientists across the globe to produce a single blurry orange ring. It remains one of the most remarkable images ever made.
M87* renders that image in wood.
Thousands of individually placed hardwood blocks — multiple species, multiple natural tones — are arranged across a relief surface with varying heights, so the piece shifts as light moves across it. The dark shadow at the center recedes physically into the piece. The bright asymmetric ring of the accretion disc — brighter at the bottom due to relativistic beaming, faithful to the original image — radiates outward in warm oranges, reds, and natural grain tones against the deep cool browns of the surrounding field.
Up close it dissolves into grain, texture, and geometry. From a few meters it resolves into one of the universe's most extreme objects, rendered by hand, block by block.
Details
Medium: hardwood blocks, multiple species, natural and stained tones, set on panel
Relief: varying block heights articulating depth and shadow
Palette: warm orange-red accretion disc, deep dark shadow center, cool outer field
Care: compressed air to clear dust from relief; keep away from prolonged direct sunlight
On April 10, 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration released the first image of a black hole — a shadow at the heart of galaxy M87, 55 million light years from Earth. It took an Earth-sized array of synchronized radio telescopes, years of data processing, and the coordinated effort of hundreds of scientists across the globe to produce a single blurry orange ring. It remains one of the most remarkable images ever made.
M87* renders that image in wood.
Thousands of individually placed hardwood blocks — multiple species, multiple natural tones — are arranged across a relief surface with varying heights, so the piece shifts as light moves across it. The dark shadow at the center recedes physically into the piece. The bright asymmetric ring of the accretion disc — brighter at the bottom due to relativistic beaming, faithful to the original image — radiates outward in warm oranges, reds, and natural grain tones against the deep cool browns of the surrounding field.
Up close it dissolves into grain, texture, and geometry. From a few meters it resolves into one of the universe's most extreme objects, rendered by hand, block by block.
Details
Medium: hardwood blocks, multiple species, natural and stained tones, set on panel
Relief: varying block heights articulating depth and shadow
Palette: warm orange-red accretion disc, deep dark shadow center, cool outer field
Care: compressed air to clear dust from relief; keep away from prolonged direct sunlight
