Open Up, Atom!

If you open up something, you can see inside. Only to find something else, which you can open again. And again. But there comes a point at which this something is not to be opened again. You have reached the atom. But wait. If you try to open up the atom, you find the nucleus and electron(s). Between them the space is open. How open? Wide open.

The electrons are situated around the nucleus in the so-called ground states, this is the lowest energy state. When atoms are given energy, for example by shining light on them, the electrons absorb this energy to go to a higher energy state. However, the atoms in this excited state are not stable, so the electrons will return back to the ground state, releasing the energy that was absorbed in the form of electromagnetic radiation. We perceive this as colours. Every atom has its own unique emission spectrum with all the colours it can form. We feel these emission spectra reflect properties and character of the atoms very well. We invite you to explore these characters, and for you to get more familiar with the very core of what you are made of.

We have created an app with descriptions for each atom. You can select the atom you need at this moment in your life. Once an atom is selected, you can surround yourself with its emission spectrum and let the atom's characteristics transfer into your core.

We build an installation consisting of a LED string with individually controllable LEDs that shine in sandblasted glass tubes. This creates the emission spectra we found here.

Project for the course New Media New Technology, together with Bart van Son. For a description of our thought and work process, please see here.