Mar 9, 2017 7:00 AM

Gallery: An Artist Makes the Universe From Sand—And Then Destroys It

Robbie Brannigan for WIRED
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For a recent exhibition at the New Museum Los Gatos, installation artist Rachel Sussman created a colorful image of the cosmic microwave background out of sand.
Robbie Brannigan for WIRED
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Sussman used paint brushes to destroy her work this past Sunday.

Robbie Brannigan for WIRED
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The piece required two weeks of painstaking work to create---and a matter of seconds to sweep away.
Robbie Brannigan for WIRED
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Part of making a mandala is accepting that the sand isn’t going to stick around forever, which is why Sussman decided to destroy it.

Robbie Brannigan for WIRED
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Sussman invited museumgoers to participate in the mandala's ceremonial destruction.
Robbie Brannigan for WIRED
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The artist encouraged visitors to bring a vessel with which to collect "the sands of the universe."

Robbie Brannigan for WIRED
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The remnants of Sussman's “Cosmic Microwave Mandala."
Robbie Brannigan for WIRED
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These glass containers hold a portion of the colored sand Sussman used to create the mandala.

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