Powers of Ten (worktitle)

Heintz & Kop are fascinated by the short film project “Powers of Ten” by Charles and Ray Eames, released in 1977. The film begins on a scale of 1 meter, where we observe a picnic on a green lawn. Every 10 seconds, the zoom level is increased by a factor of 10, creating an impressive journey through various scales. Using a microscope, light, magnets, and ferrous fluid, we take the audience along in a game of scale change. For this project, we want to investigate light in combination with ferrous fluid, consisting of magnetic nanoparticles that react instantly to magnetic fields; it is easy to manipulate with magnets and is ideal for use as a performer on a microscopic scale. They start with a scale of 1 m² and zoom out by a factor of 10 each time, eventually zooming back in. Our project guides the audience along a sliding scale between two extremes, switching between microscopic and cosmic scales. From the constellations of cells to the galaxies of stars.

This exploration of scales raises the question: how are we all connected to one another? Just as cells and stars function both individually and collectively, we as humans are connected to each other and to the universe. This connection offers us not only a sense of place within the world, but also within the vastness of the cosmos.