Seminar/ workshop
Title: Black Holes and «One Hundred Thousand Suns»
Location: Bibliotheca Hertziana, Max Planck Institute for Art History, Rome
Villino Stroganoff, Via Gregoriana 22, 00187 Rome and online
Date: Nov. 27, 2025
About the seminar and workshop
Title: Black Holes and «One Hundred Thousand Suns»
Location: Bibliotheca Hertziana, Max Planck Institute for Art History, Rome. Villino Stroganoff, Via Gregoriana 22, 00187 Rome and online
Date: Nov. 27, 2025
Vortragende: Dr. Eszter Polonyi, Dr. Sašo Grozdanov, and Rohini Devasher
“In this interdisciplinary seminar, an artist, a historian and a physicist come together to explore how visual methods produce knowledge about astronomical phenomena. How does the human observer approach the unseeable, the unknowable? In 2019, the iconic visualization of a black hole was released by the Event Horizon Telescope. This builds upon a long history of visual methods in observing celestial objects, from drawing to analog and digital photography. The seminar revolves around Dr. Eszter Polonyi and Dr. Sašo Grozdanov’s work on black holes and photography, and on Rohini Devasher’s artistic practice on portraying the Sun. We explore visual methodologies and interdisciplinary work processes – spanning art, physics, and history – through the lense of the astronomical image.
Rohini Devasher, Twin Suns (video still), 2023-24 (© Rohini Devasher)
Bibliotheca Hertziana
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the lectures recorded?
Some lectures are recorded, while others take place only in person. Recordings are published when possible, and upcoming releases will be announced through this platform. Each lecture contributes to our growing archive, extending the project’s interdisciplinary dialogue between physics, art, and media.
What is the format of the lecture series?
The lecture series brings speakers from different disciplines into conversation. Unlike traditional lectures, its purpose is to open dialogue between scientific and artistic ways of knowing and to share how each shapes what we see and understand.