Honorable Mention
STARt. Look beyond
DESCRIPTION
Dark matter is not observable, but it most likely exists. That's what we know from recent astrophysics studies, as scientists can detect its gravitational effects in the universe even though they cannot directly observe it. The name itself assigned to this mysterious matter seems to suggest a consideration: the fact that something is not 'visible' does not imply that it does not exist. Our limits often prevent us to perceive something that actually exists, so in everyday life, as in scientific research, it is fundamental not to judge by appearances, always trying to look beyond instead.The image shows the heart of our galaxy located in the Sagittarius region, made with long exposure by astrotracking. Inspired by the idea of dark matter, as if I wanted to reveal it through the lens, I converted the Milky Way's nucleus into a negative photo. The Galactic Center's stars thus become the absolute protagonists of my shot, such as the colors on the abstract canvas of Paul Jackson Pollock, reversing reality into abstractionism and demonstrating how the infinite beauty of our universe itself is Art.
AUTHOR
Simone Arrigoni is a classical pianist, Freediving World Champion (he set 20 World Records in the sea, lake, under the ice and with dolphins), and awards-winning photographer.His photos and reportages have been exhibited Worldwide (Italy, UK, Greece, Belgium, China, USA, Singapore); published in books and magazines (as Image in Progress, Fotografia Reflex, Il Venerdì di Repubblica); and received more than 90 awards in the most prestigious international photo contests, such as 1st Place at FIOF Italy International Photography Award FIIPA 2016, 1st Place in PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2017, 1st Place in the Fusion Art's International Contest Skies 2017 (California), 1st Place at New York International Photography and Digital Art Contest 2017, 1st Place in NTU International Photography Awards by Singapore's Nanyang Technological University & National Geographic.
One of his astrophotographies was published as EAPOD - European Astronomy Picture Of the Day (28 January 2017), and he has been appointed Italian Photography Ambassador in China.
For further information visit: www.simonearrigoni.com
