'Dark Matter' was made during a residency at the Projectruimte in Leiden during a two-month stay. It is a map of the constellations, printed with the tire tracks of passing traffic. Each constellation was cut out in cardboard, covered in canvas, and all the stars and their connecting lines taped onto the canvas and laid on the road in front of the Projectruimte. After the stencils had been 'printed' by the passing traffic, the tape was removed.

280 x 750 cm, canvas, cardboard, east-indian ink

The stars used to be used in navigation, as orientation points; in spite of their usefulness, the fixed points that they represent are an illusion. Our minds project a pattern onto a reality that is always shifting. In this piece everything is the opposite of what it seems: something is created from nothing, the constellations become visible through of an absence of matter, the sky lies on the floor, and the more energy we use the less it will be possible to see anything at all, as pollution gradually clouds our vision.

Stencils lying on the road ready for printing.

Overview installation of 'Dark Matter' for the exhibition 'Natur Reflectiert', in Schloß Burgau, Düren, Germany