This article was taken from the August 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
This macabre sculpture is, according to its creator, Belgian scientist Frederik De Wilde, made from the blackest black in the world. "In Belgium, where I grew up, we have a lot of coal mines," says the 49-year-old, who still calls that country home. "In them you have incredible blackness: it made me think of space -- how we are all part of space."
This darkness is produced using carbon nanotubes. De Wilde, who developed the technique in partnership with Nasa, arranges them in vertical arrays. Their openings are so small that photons cannot enter, causing light to fall between the tubes, where it gets "stuck". The lack of reflection translates into chasm-like darkness.
So far De Wilde has used nanotubes both for a painting, entitled Hostage pt 1, and a 3D-printed sculpture, called M1NE#1, whose shape is based on production data from seven of those Belgian coal mines. The nanotubes are applied to the titanium structure after printing. He is currently working on new application techniques for his latest series of sculptures (pictured), which are based on deformed skulls.
De Wilde considers all this research, rather than purely art. "Nasa is using the blackest black to coat the inside of a space telescope so stray light inside the lens is eliminated. And you could use it for stealth technology such as aircraft." That otherworldly aesthetic, evidently, is just a bonus.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
