Experience the Artwork Light Cone Come to Life

Experience Light Cone from the current special exhibition as it comes to life in a poetic three-act performance by researchers and artists Jo Verwohlt and Pieter Steyaert. The performance will be followed by a 30-minute talk between the artist-researcher duo and astrophysicist Anja C. Andersen.

Light Cone is part of the exhibition Light Echoes, which explores the relationship between our perception of light and our understanding of time. The evening’s performance is based on Jo Verwohlt and Pieter Steyaert’s volumetric light sculpture and sound composition.

The two artists are also researchers and have worked together at the Niels Bohr Institute for several years, developing a shared practice at the intersection of art and science. Light Cone is their first major collaborative work.

The performance is a poetic tale in three acts exploring some of the great forces and phenomena of the universe – moving from darkness and gravity through time and causality before finally stepping into the light. Both music and visuals are created live: guitar and cello interact with data-generated imagery that changes in response to the music.

At one point, the universe itself joins the performance. Cosmic muons – tiny particles constantly passing through us and the world around us – are detected by a particle detector and help set the tempo of the music. Muons are created high in the atmosphere when cosmic rays collide with particles in Earth’s atmosphere. They exist for only a very short time and would ordinarily decay long before reaching the ground. But because they travel at speeds close to the speed of light, Einstein’s theory of relativity comes into play: from our perspective on Earth, their lifetime is extended, allowing them to reach us – and, on this evening, to become part of the performance.

Performance followed by a talk with astrophysicist Anja C. Andersen

After the performance, the artist-researcher duo will join astrophysicist Anja C. Andersen for a conversation about light and darkness as ways of experiencing and understanding the universe – in both art and science.

The event is included with standard admission, but tickets must be booked in advance via the link. Your ticket also includes admission to the current exhibition Light Echoes and the Round Tower’s own introductory exhibition Ole Rømer and the Great Discovery, which sets the scene for LIGHT YEAR 2026, marking the 350th anniversary of Ole Rømer’s discovery that light has a finite speed.

You can, of course, also make your way up the iconic Spiral Ramp to the top of the tower and watch the sun set over Copenhagen.

Practical information

Doors open 30 minutes before the event begins, giving you plenty of time to explore the historic tower and the two exhibitions, Light Echoes and Ole Rømer and the Great Discovery, either before or after the event.

4.30 pm: Doors open – explore the Round Tower and the exhibitions

5 pm: Performance begins

5.30 pm: Talk with Jo Verwohlt, Pieter Steyaert and astrophysicist Anja C. Andersen

6–7 pm: Drinks and conversation, with the opportunity to explore the Round Tower

Please note: The event will be in English.