The Closed World

A telescope modified to look upon a machine-generated cosmos

Oliver, 2024

the-closed-world

The Closed World takes a standard refractor telescope and modifies it to present an entirely machine-generated, fictional cosmos. Fitted with a computer, sensors and lenses, it gazes upon a tiny high-resolution screen rather than the universe around it. Built to be presented only at night, the viewer is able to track and pan with the scope on its axis, as though looking at the real cosmos above.

CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND

The Closed World is a project about truth in an age of machine-generated content. It takes a telescope - an instrument of truth - and intercepts the path of cosmic light with that of a simulated universe. It asks: Do we know enough about the cosmos we live in to be able to discern it from a computed simulation?

While acting as a philosophical instrument, The Closed World also seeks to draw attention to our darkening skies, whereby our view of the cosmos is increasingly obscured by the proliferation of satellites, space junk, air and light pollution; as we surround ourselves with machine mediated re-presentations, the detritus of civilisation closes us in.

the-closed-world Photo showing the internals during development, whereby a custom mini-telescope has been built and fitted within the existing refractor telescope using PVC tubing and aluminium brackets. The 50mm bi-convex lens looks upon a 43mm (1.7 inch) high resolution display. A magnetometer and accelerometer sensor provides tilt values and Magnetic North to a microcontroller, facilitating panning of the virtual cosmos of a 3D engine running on the Raspberry Pi 5.

the-closed-world Photo showing a close up of the tiny 1080p display during development.

the-closed-world A view of one of the generated starscapes.

the-closed-world Photo by Phoebe Mackenzie.

the-closed-world A view looking into the lens of the telescope, showing the hardware inside. Photo by Phoebe Mackenzie.

HARDWARE

SOFTWARE

THANKS

My gratitude to optical engineer Andrew Rakich, whom during a transformative call helped me through some difficult challenges I was having with light path physics and their calculations. Without this guidance, the project would have been a lot larger and certainly less elegant as an implementation.

I would also like to thank Honor Harger, director of the ArtScience Museum Singapore for her help without which I would not have made contact with Andrew Rakich.

Thanks to Crystelle Vu for the rich discussion throughout development, and for her photography, one photo of which became the title picture.

Finally, the entire Aotearoa Digital Arts team for their unwavering support of this project from conception through to standing on its own three legs.

COMMISSION

The Closed World was commissioned for the Ada Symposium 2024, generously funded by Creative New Zealand with the support of the Wellington City Council.


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