Arcanum

A telescope protrudes from The Centre’s facade, mimicking the luminous orb-like organ an anglerfish dangles to lure its prey, its gruesome visage hidden in the lightless aquatic depths. Or, perhaps it is like the outstretched arm of a curious child intent on grasping towards some new object of desire. Each day, I dread descending the fluorescent-lit route to the observation deck and accompanying laboratories. I dread lowering my lashes to the eyepiece of the telescope. The glass disk reminds me of the day I first witnessed a dissection: a cornea, pale and frosted, peeled from its jellied flesh. I dread peering through this device to discern the foggy demarcation of the event horizon—only just perceptible—rupturing the unblemished picture plane of the surrounding space.

Title Image: 

Katie Paine
A Guest in What Cannot Be Terrestrial Space (Dead Sea) [detail], 2019
Photograph
42 × 29 cm
Courtesy of the artist