A Unified Theory for Everything

2026
Series of metal objects
Pewter alloy
Approx. 13 x 13 x 13 cm each

In the mid-20th century, both the United States and the Soviet Union began using simplified, iconised depictions of the atom based on Niels Bohr’s planetary model. Although scientifically inaccurate due to its fixed electron orbits, this model became a powerful propagandistic tool, somewhat surprisingly employed by both superpowers to suggest the peaceful use of atomic energy. It also marked the first time an invisible force was given a visual form that would go on to permeate popular culture, appearing in government campaigns such as President Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace initiative, in educational films, world’s fair pavilions, corporate logos, and their Soviet counterparts, which promoted the atom as a symbol of progress, modernity, and collective prosperity.
Possessing the potential to destroy the world while simultaneously promising solutions to many of humanity’s problems, atomic power can be seen as a historical parallel to today’s hopes and fears surrounding artificial intelligence.

The series A Unified Theory for Everything engages with this icon in an alchemical manner, presenting a group of tin-alloy objects that simplify and distort Bohr’s model. These forms function as an open-ended process of trial and error, hinting at an endless search for understanding.