"We are colliding things even more elusive than particles—human imagination and creativity," says Ariane Koek, a former BBC producer. The force behind a new arts experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, she says, "I love anything that stretches knowledge and busts boundaries. I am fascinated by everything, and I have a nerdy interest in atomic physics.
"It's an incredible moment for particle physics," says Koek. "CERN has the world's largest machine, and we are at the moment of great discovery. I can't think of a better way of demonstrating fundamental science's relevance to our culture than engaging in an inspirational way." A century ago, she says, science "inspired cubism, the moderns. Now let's inspire even more."
To that end, last December the laboratory's director general, Rolf-Dieter Heuer, adopted a cultural policy for CERN. Called Great Arts for Great Science, the policy sets the stage for Koek's initiative through...
