Ceremonial Destruction of the Cosmic Microwave Mandala
Sunday, March 5 | 2pm-3pm | Free with admission to NUMU
Bring your own container to take part of the universe home with you!
Artist Rachel Sussman created a sand mandala for the exhibit Making Contact: SETI Artist in Residence. The Cosmic Microwave Mandala is an ephemeral artwork about eternity. Rachel Sussman weaves together the principles of physics, exploring the birth and nature of the universe, with the traditional Tibetan Buddhist practice of creating sand mandalas.
The mandala will be ceremoniously destroyed at the end of the exhibition in keeping with Buddhist beliefs on the transitory nature of life. Join us for the ceremonial destruction of the mandala, and if you come with a recyclable container you can bring home your own piece of the universe.
Rachel Sussman is a contemporary artist with a transdisciplinary practice blending art, science, and philosophy. Sussman is a Guggenheim, NYFA and MacDowell Colony Fellow, TED speaker, and author of New York Times bestselling book, The Oldest Living Things in the World. Her exhibition record spans more than a decade in museums and galleries in the US and Europe, and her photographs and writing have been featured on global media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and NPR’s Picture Show.
