Worldmaking as We Know It

- Nelson Goodman in Ways of Worldmaking

We enter the white cube and shrink beneath an impressive network of elastic ropes that appear frozen in a moment of making. The overtly poetic title of Argentinian artist Tomas Saraceno's installation, Galaxies Forming Along Filaments, like Droplets Along the Strands of a Spider's Web (2009), suggests a Utopian application of the astronomical theory and scientific formulas that dictate the form of the piece. Saraceno examines the geometrical structure of black widow gossamer filaments and their ability to suspend large amounts of weight. This activity illustrates the central ideas of the curated portion of the Venice Biennale, put forward by director Daniel Birnbaum. In his introduction to the show which he has titled Fare Mondi ("Making Worlds"), Birnbaum describes the making of new worlds as "building something common, something that can be shared" adding that "perhaps new worlds emerge where worlds meet." Saraceno's fusion of astronomy, geometry and architecture create new possibilities for maneuvering in and out of worlds. We leave the space to view a small grid-like ink drawing.