Quick Answer: HALO is a particle physics art installation by artist duo Semiconductor, open at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus near Didcot. Visitors stand inside a cylindrical structure surrounded by 360-degree light projections and 384 vertical wires, both driven by data from CERN particle collisions. It remains open to the public throughout November.
Most people will never see a particle collision, and the ones who do see a diagram or a graph. A new installation at Harwell wants you to step inside the data instead. HALO, created by the internationally acclaimed duo Semiconductor, uses real scientific data to drive light and sound, so the invisible physics of CERN becomes something you can watch and hear. As the Herald reported, the piece is now open and will run through the end of November.
What CERN Data Actually Looks Like Before It Becomes Art
CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, sits on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva. Its scientists accelerate tiny particles to close to the speed of light and smash them together to study the fundamental building blocks of matter. The raw output of those collisions is not a picture. It is a stream of measurements: energies, trajectories, and counts across detectors.
That's the material Semiconductor works with. Their approach is to take scientific data that is usually only readable by specialists and map it onto sensory channels that anyone can perceive. Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt have said they want to make "scientific processes that are usually invisible or impossible to experience directly feel tangible."
Here's the part many visitors miss: data-driven art is always a translation. Someone has to decide which variable controls brightness, which controls pitch, and how fast the movement should be. Those choices shape what you experience. HALO is accurate in the sense that its patterns are generated from real collision data, but the visual language is an artistic decision, not a physics diagram. Treat it as a way of feeling the scale and structure of the data, not as a measurement you can read off the walls.
Inside the Cylinder: 360 Degrees of Light and 384 Wires
Visitors enter a large cylindrical structure and are surrounded by 360-degree projections of moving light patterns. The projections surround you rather than sitting on one screen, so the effect depends on where you stand and how long you stay.
The more unusual element is the set of 384 vertical wires. The same data that drives the projections also drives the wires, which turns the whole space into what the source describes as a massive musical instrument. In practice, that means the rhythm and texture of the collision data become audible as well as visible.
This is where the design gets interesting. Multi-sensory installations often fail because the sound and light feel like two separate shows running at once. When the same data source drives both channels, you start to notice correspondences: a dense burst of light and a dense cluster of tones tend to land together. That linkage is the closest thing the piece offers to the feeling of a physics result making sense.
Pay attention to the first two or three minutes. Most people walk in, look up, and start filming. Stand still for a full cycle and you'll notice patterns repeating at different scales. That's the point where the data stops feeling like decoration.
Why Harwell Is the Right Place for This
Harwell Campus is not an arbitrary venue. The source notes that the campus has a long history in particle accelerator technology, including building instruments for CERN. It also houses the Diamond Light Source, the UK's national synchrotron light source science facility.
A synchrotron is a circular particle accelerator that speeds charged particles to nearly the speed of light along a closed loop. Diamond uses that light to study matter at the atomic and molecular level. So HALO sits in a place where the science is actually being done, not just described.
Adrian Mancuso, director of physical sciences at Diamond Light Source, framed the installation this way: "HALO offers a different way to connect with this science, translating the data generated by particle collisions into an experience people can see, hear and feel."
That quote matters for a practical reason. It shows that the people running the underlying research see the installation as a bridge, not a stunt. If you want to go beyond the art, the campus context gives you a natural next step.
Comparing the Three Facilities Behind the Experience
Visitors often blur CERN, Diamond, and HALO together. They are different things, and the table below separates them.
| Facility | Type | Location | What it does | Link to HALO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CERN | Particle physics laboratory | Franco-Swiss border near Geneva | Accelerates particles close to light speed and studies collisions | Source of the collision data |
| Diamond Light Source | National synchrotron light source | Harwell Campus, near Didcot | Uses accelerated particles' light to study matter at atomic and molecular level | Shares the campus and its research culture |
| HALO | Immersive art installation | Harwell Campus, near Didcot | Turns collision data into 360-degree light and 384 wires of sound | Translates the data into a sensory experience |
The table shows the division of labour. CERN produces the data, Diamond uses a related technology for its own research, and HALO translates the data for the public.
Common Misconceptions About Data-Driven Art
The most common mistake is assuming that a data-driven installation is a live window onto the experiment. The source describes HALO's visuals as generated from real scientific data, which is not the same as showing collisions as they happen. Expect a faithful transformation of recorded data rather than a real-time feed. Ask the venue directly if live accuracy matters to you.
A related misconception is that the art is "just pretty." The mapping decisions are where the science meets the aesthetics, and that's worth thinking about. If you want to sharpen your sense of what the installation is doing, try a simple exercise: after your visit, write down three things you saw and three things you heard, then note which ones you think were tied to specific properties of the data.
Finally, don't assume you need physics training to get something from it. The Light Project's wider programme, including public talks, is designed for general audiences, and the campus's stated goal is for science to feel like something everyone can engage with.
The Light Project and What It Signals About Public Science
HALO is part of Harwell's year-long Light Project, which marks 80 years of scientific innovation at the campus. Earlier events in the project included the Museum of the Moon, BODY, outdoor cinema screenings, Luminarium, and public talks.
Rebecca Duvall, head of community at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, described the aim: "The Light Project is an opportunity to share the campus' story, welcoming people onto campus to experience science in new and unexpected ways."
That approach is a trade-off worth understanding. Art-led science engagement reaches people who would never attend a lecture, and it can spark curiosity that leads to further reading. The limitation is depth: a few minutes in a cylinder will not teach you accelerator physics. The most useful way to think about HALO is as a first encounter. If it makes you want to know more, the campus and its partner institutions are the place to go next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the particle physics art installation HALO?
HALO is an immersive art installation by the artist duo Semiconductor, now open at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus near Didcot. It uses data from CERN particle collisions to drive 360-degree light projections and 384 vertical wires, letting visitors see and hear the data inside a large cylindrical structure.
How does collision data become light and sound?
Scientific data is mapped onto visual and audio parameters by the artists. The same data drives both the projections and the wires, so patterns in the physics appear as light and sound. The mapping involves artistic choices, so the result is a translation of the data rather than a direct measurement.
Where can I see the HALO installation and until when?
HALO is at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus near Didcot and will remain open to the public throughout November. For opening times, tickets, and the full events programme, check the official site at https://harwellcampus.com/halo/.
Is HALO showing live particle collisions from CERN?
The source describes the visuals as generated from real scientific data, not as a live feed of collisions. Treat it as a faithful artistic transformation of recorded data. If live accuracy matters for your visit, contact the campus before you go.
Try This Before the Installation Closes
HALO's most useful lesson is that scientific data is not inherently invisible. It becomes accessible when someone decides how to translate it. If you're near Didcot before the end of November, go stand inside the cylinder for a full cycle and notice what repeats. Then pass this article to someone wrestling with how to explain particle physics to a non-expert, and ask them to try the same visit with you.