About Connect Argentina
Connect Argentina is part of a collaboration agreement between Arts at CERN and the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.
Connect Argentina is organized by the regional office of Pro Helvetia in South America and the Presente Continuo Program – Art, Science and Technology of the Bunge and Born Foundation and Williams Foundation; with the participation of Pierre Auger Observatory (Malargüe, Mendoza) as a scientific partner in the country.
Connect Argentina Residence
An artist from Argentina and another from Switzerland have been selected to participate jointly in a three-week stay at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Malargüe, Mendoza, and in Buenos Aires, followed by a three-week residency at CERN, Geneva.
The residency aims to enable selected artists to develop an artistic project linked to fundamental science, in dialogue with scientists, engineers, and staff from both CERN and the Pierre Auger Observatory.
2025-2026 Edition
For the first edition of the program, Juan Sorrentino (1978, Chaco), a sound artist and experimental musician whose work explores concepts of visual language, nature, ecology, poetic context, and collective imagination, was selected from Argentina. Celine Manz (1981, Zurich), a multidisciplinary artist whose work focuses on the use of archives and representational systems, drawing on fields such as sociology, psychoanalysis, art history, and literature, was selected from Switzerland.
Launched in 2021, the collaborative framework between Arts at CERN and Pro Helvetia works together to promote dialogue between artists and scientists, within a context of cultural exchange. Connect offers double residencies at CERN and other partner scientific organizations. Two artists are immersed together in distinct research environments and cultural contexts to foster artistic experimentation and inspire the creation of new works. Previous editions have included Connect India, Connect Chile, and Connect South Africa.
Connect Argentina Mendoza
The first phase of Connect Argentina took place in Malargüe, where artists Juan Sorrentino and Céline Manz developed an active agenda alongside scientists from the Pierre Auger Observatory. They shared their project in an open presentation, explored the area, and toured the spaces where cosmic rays are studied, from the surface detectors to the SDECO (Scientific and Cosmic Ray Observatory).
The residency included nighttime photographic and audio recording and daily meetings with specialists who supported the research. This exchange, unprecedented in Argentina, opened new avenues for collaboration between artistic practices and scientific thought.
Buenos Aires
Their experience deepened in Buenos Aires, where they visited the CNEA (National Atomic Energy Commission), the Planetarium and the Riachuelo, among other sites.
This unprecedented journey through Argentina forged a sustained dialogue between artistic practice and scientific research, and laid the foundation for a long-term collaboration.
