Watch: Concrete Cosmos, A Short Film On The Shared Frequencies Of The Universe and the Human Experience

The universe has a structure – a vast web that scientists have spent decades exploring. But does that structure have anything to do with life on Earth today? In their short film Concrete Cosmos, Flatiron Institute research fellow Adrian Bayer and filmmaker Adonis Williams explore how patterns shaping the cosmos look a lot like those shaping our everyday experiences.

By mapping the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the primary focus of Bayer’s research, onto the grid of New York City, the film shows us how the radiation emitted from the CMB is not a static image, but an “infinite sum of frequencies,” a living score that bridges the gap between astrophysics and lived reality. The parallels that emerge from this partnership are surprisingly intuitive. Just as a passing subway train can send a ripple down a city block, the film illustrates how orbiting black holes send gravitational waves through the fabric of space. The networks connecting galaxies across space mirror the networks connecting the neighborhoods across a borough.

Concrete Cosmos was made as part of Symbiosis, a two-week program that pairs scientists with filmmakers to create short films. This year’s Symbiosis is aligned with the Simons Foundation’s Infinite Sums national initiative, focused on the beauty and ubiquity of mathematics.

Symbiosis is part of the Simons Foundation’s Researcher Engagement program, an initiative of the foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division. You can learn more and stream the films here.