ABOUT ARTIST:

Aoife van Linden Tol’s work with explosives fused her interests in nature, cosmology, chemistry and physics. A multi-disciplinary artist her practice spans sculpture, installation, drawing, photography and performance. She creates abstract works which often examine concepts of time, density and matter as well as deep human emotions and motivations. A joy of learning, constantly questioning mind and a keen analytical nature has instilled a scientific approach to research, testing and making. As a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts she believes that art changes the world and has a particular interest in how augmented reality and art can be
used to inspire and inform local and global change.

Graduating from Central St Martins College of Art and Design in 2002, with a BA Hons in Art & Design, Aoife van Linden Tol exhibits internationally. Including at the ICA, London, Vault Festival, London, the San Francisco MOMA, USA, NGBK Berlin, Ars Electronica Festival. Aoife has worked with physicists at Imperial College, was commissioned by Disney to design a limited edition model Star Wars BB-8 robot and installed a large scale explosive event in Trinity Square for the Science Gallery Dublin’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Aoife was the artist in residence at the European Space Agency & Ars Electronica Futurelab in 2017 and regularly presents talks, workshops lectures and seminars internationally including at SCI:COM, the International Space University and NASA. She is Vice-Chair for the International Astronautical Committee for the Cultural Utilisation of Space was Commander of the EMMPOL V analog Moon mission at the Astronaut Training Centre in Poland mission in early 2021.

SUBMISSION: Copper Cosmos

Copper is used in so many ways – here are just a few:
Michael Faraday discovered that an electric current could be produced by passing a magnet through a copper wire. Almost all the electricity we use today is still made with magnets and coils of copper wire in giant power plants.
It is used for water pipes and was traditionally used for door handles and taps due to its antimicrobial properties.
It’s stunning blue and turquoise salt derivatives have been used widely in pigments. It is an essential trace element for human life and all life on Earth. It can be endlessly recycled. Even my wedding ring is rose gold. Its a face centered crystalline structure. The cube exhibited reflects this. Forged in Suns, essential for life on Earth and present on the Moon ripe for mining. For me it represents a link between the Earth, The Moon, the Stars, and the cosmos as a whole. It reflects on the natural beauty of the metals permeating the universe.
This work is an ode to my cosmic love of Copper.