Artist and researcher George Mahashe has completed a month-long residency at IFAE as part of Platform Dalí, an art–science initiative promoted by the Fundació Gala–Salvador Dalí.

During his time at IFAE, Mahashe met with researchers and engineers from different research areas, learning about the scientific questions, instruments and technologies developed at the institute. These conversations allowed him to explore connections between his artistic work and topics such as fundamental physics, cosmology, gamma-ray astronomy and quantum technologies.

One of the main activities of the residency took place on 11 June, when Mahashe transformed a shielded room in IFAE’s Technical Division into a large-scale camera obscura.

The installation was part of his ongoing Camera Obscura Works, a project that explores the camera not only as an instrument that produces images, but also as a physical space that can be entered and experienced. Inspired by the optical studies of the 10th-century scientist Alhazen, the installation allowed visitors to observe how an image is projected inside a darkened room.

Mahashe also travelled to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma, where he visited the MAGIC telescopes and the Large-Sized Telescopes together with IFAE researchers. The visit gave him first-hand insight into the instruments used to study gamma rays and some of the most energetic phenomena in the Universe.

His participation in the programme concluded with What is Real?, the second public event organised by Platform Dalí, held on 1 July at La Llotja de Mar in Barcelona. The event brought together artists, scientists and the public to explore how art and science contribute to our understanding of reality. Mahashe contributed with a performance and in a round table to discuss about the question of the event. IFAE researcher Tamara Vázquez Schröder also took part in the programme with a performative reading of her science-fiction story As a Matter of Dark.

Although his stay at IFAE has ended, Mahashe will continue developing the project over the coming year as part of the wider Platform Dalí programme, which will culminate in an international exhibition in 2029.

Platform Dalí brings contemporary artists into contact with leading research institutions, encouraging exchanges between artistic practice and scientific research. IFAE participates in the programme alongside BSC–CNS, ICFO, ICM–CSIC and PRBB.