Sarah MacWright

Raisin Universe

Science is sometimes hard to see, which is why we use microscopes and telescopes and computers to help us visualize and comprehend the world. Another – and perhaps the best – tool we can use is art.

Last summer, when I wanted to learn more about the expanding universe, I found a metaphor than helped me. Some scientists liken the movement of bodies in the universe to raisins in a rising loaf of bread dough. As the raisins move away from each other, any one raisin could believe it is the center of the universe. Admiring how this story helped me understand a concept so much bigger than my eyes could see, I started a new project.