High Z: Our Story
Artists and Scientists Working Together
I was living in New York at the end of graduate school when I received an email from my sister, Arielle. I didn’t know it yet, but it would take us on an unexpected journey. Soon, we would travel from Colorado to Chile to interview a team of astronomers about their Nobel Prize-winning discovery. Here’s how it all started.
“Peter's colleagues [Brian Schmidt and Adam Riesse] were awarded the Nobel prize (along with Saul Perlmutter) for the discovery of the acceleration of the expansion of the universe. [...] Congratulations are raining in!”
Okay, let me backtrack. My sister is an astrophysicist. And her husband, Peter is an astronomer. They met at DAO, a telescope observatory in Victoria, BC. At the time, Peter was on the High-Z Supernova Search Team. That's one of the two teams that discovered the accelerating universe. So he and Arielle were invited to attend the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm.
![Here's the High-Z Team celebrating the Nobel Prize. A group picture of the High-Z Supernova Search Team celebrating at Nobel Prize Ceremonies in Stockholm in 2011](https://i0.wp.com/www.naimakristelphillips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/High_Z_Team_Chris-V3.jpg?fit=1600%2C1000)
Here's the High-Z Team celebrating the Nobel Prize.
![And here are Arielle and Peter with Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt and his wife, renowned economist Jenny Gordon. High-Z Stockholm, Nobel Prize Ceremonies](https://i0.wp.com/www.naimakristelphillips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_1156-1.jpg?fit=800%2C600)
And here are Arielle and Peter with Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt and his wife, renowned economist Jenny Gordon.
During Nobel week, Arielle spoke with the High-Z astronomers and watched them reminisce. That's when she came up with an idea: to collect the oral histories of the team. Months later, she asked me if I’d be interested in creating an artwork based on their interviews. We'd collaborated on another project, so I was immediately on board. After some time passed, I had my first vision for High Z: scaling the process of discovery.
![My first vision for High Z: Scaling the process of discovery A sketch illustrating my first vision for High Z: scalling the process of discovery of the High-Z Supernova Search Team](https://i0.wp.com/www.naimakristelphillips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/1-HighZSketch-1-2.jpg?fit=600%2C800)
A collabaoration between artists and scientists
Arielle and I got to work. First, we interviewed members of the High-Z Team, asking them about everything from their scientific process to their favourite swear words.
Then, we assembled our dream team of collaborators: astrophysicist Keith Davis (South Bend) and theatre artists Fatma Sarah Elkashef (Montreal) and David Bengali (New York).
Today, we're a group of artists and scientists, pushing the boundaries of our fields. Working together has led to a surprising outcome. Our most inspired work happens when we step into each other’s process.
scientists doing art + artists doing science = inspiration
This was evident when Sarah and I participated in a telescope observation run with professional astronomers. We worked on the VATT Telescope at the Mount Graham International Observatory in Arizona.
![VATT Telescope, Mount Graham International Observatory, Arizona](https://i0.wp.com/www.naimakristelphillips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/VATTbasecamp.jpg?fit=800%2C400)
![VATT Telescope, Arizona](https://i0.wp.com/www.naimakristelphillips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/4N7A3271-1-1.jpg?fit=800%2C600)
It was also true when our group explored the light path and video during a residency at the University of Notre Dame's DVT. That's when Keith, David, and Arielle created a prototype for a deconstructed telescope.
![Our team explores light path and video at the University of Notre Dame (photo: David Bengali)](https://i0.wp.com/www.naimakristelphillips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_0634_EDIT-1.jpg?fit=1600%2C1000)
![Our team explores light path and video at the University of Notre Dame](https://i0.wp.com/www.naimakristelphillips.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_0686_EDIT-1.jpg?fit=1600%2C1000)
So far, the best thing for me has been to travel with my sister to hear the stories of the High-Z Team. It's been amazing, and we're just getting started!