Kamil Hassim and Ian Purnell, winners of Connect South Africa, a dual residency between CERN, SARAO and SAAO

The winners of Connect South Africa, Ian Purnell and Kamil Hassim, will spend three weeks together at CERN, followed by five weeks in the group of astronomy observatories connected to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO). Kamil Hassim is currently a MFA student at Michaelis.

In his project proposal If Spacetime were a Canvas, South African Kamil Hassim intends to explore the standard model of particle physics, as well as Indigenous and diasporic South African spiritual and cosmological sensibilities and their relevance to the modern physics and astronomy research conducted by SARAO and SAAO. He aims to create resonant instruments that will serve to draw a connection between ancient wisdom and modern scientific knowledge. 

Both residencies are expected to start between February and April 2022.