Nobel physicist Kip Thorne and artist Lia Halloran publish collaborative book on the curved universe

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Kip Thorne and artist Lia Halloran have published a collaborative book titled "Il lato curvo dell'Universo: un'odissea tra buchi neri, wormhole, viaggi nel tempo e onde gravitazionali" (The Warped Side of the Universe), released in Italy by Bompiani. The project emerged from their long-standing creative partnership, which began in 2009 at a Caltech cocktail party. Over 650 artworks by Halloran were created during the book's development, with a selection featured in a dedicated exhibition at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., on the Mall near the Washington Monument, National Gallery, and Smithsonian museums. Thorne, known for his scientific consultancy on "Contact" and "Interstellar," and Halloran, who teaches at Chapman University and has a background in art-science intersections, describe their process as iterative: Halloran produces sketches, Thorne offers feedback, and they refine until both feel the work is "definitive" for that moment. Halloran's series "The Wonder Room" at La Specola in Florence draws on the museum's anatomical wax models, Medici Wunderkammer, and Galileo's telescopes. Her project "Your Body Is a Space That Sees" highlights the overlooked contributions of early female astronomers like Henrietta Swan Leavitt and Annie Jump Cannon, correcting the myth of "Pickering's Harem." The book and exhibition aim to invite curiosity rather than teach, blending scientific rigor with visual art.