Invisible Presence – the Dark Matter’s Dance

When observing the cosmos, we discover something unexpected.
Stars in galaxies and clusters move faster than expected... if we only account for the matter we can see.

The gravitational pull of this visible matter is insufficient to hold these stars in orbit at such speeds.
What can explain this?

The answer appears to be a vast amount of "missing mass" – matter that is invisible because it does not interact with light, yet exerts a powerful gravitational pull.
We call this invisible presence: dark matter.

LER EM PORTUGUÊS

There is an invisible presence that holds the Universe together.
And now, you can see it… at the Planetário do Porto – Centro Ciência Viva.

It is from this cosmic mystery that Invisible Presence – The Dance of Dark Matter is born – an immersive film that weaves together the sensibility of artistic creation with the depth of scientific research on Dark Matter.
We invite you to dive into this planetarium sensorial journey, in full 360º fulldome and surround sound, where the search of performer Leonor Keil becomes one with the quest to unveil what cannot be seen — but which shapes the very fabric of the Universe.

PREMIERE of the immersive film that brings together artistic creation and dark matter research

Immersive film, 4K 35 minutes
Saturday, 14th June 2025 - 5.30pm
Planetário do Porto – Centro Ciência Viva
Free entry (limited seating in the dome, no reservations)

The premiere will feature an introduction by artistic creators Leonor Keil and Paulo MilHomens along with astrophysicists Jarle Brinchmann, Daniel Vaz, and Tomás Lopes Moura, from in the DarkMAGE research project.

Following the screening, there will be an open dialogue with the audience — a continued search for bridges between the unknown and the known, the invisible and the visible, art and science.

This film is the result of a rare collaboration between science and art, bringing together the work of the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, performer Leonor Keil, director Paulo MilHomens, and the team of the Planetário do Porto – CCV, with the support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.

Join us.
To discover what cannot be seen.
To listen to what the Universe whispers and to dance – with dark matter.

—
Invisible Presence – the Dark Matter’s Dance

ignition
Jarle Brinchmann, Filipe Pires e Paulo Pereira
 

concept
Leonor Keil e Paulo MilHomens
 

choreography, performance & costumes
Leonor Keil
 

cinematography, editing and music
Paulo MilHomens
 

text
Jarle Brinchmann
adapted by
Paulo MilHomens and Paulo Pereira
 

narrator
Paulo MilHomens
 

sound mix
Pedro Góis
 

communication design
Paulo Pereira
 

scientific consultancy
Jarle Brinchmann, Daniel Vaz e Tomás Lopes Moura
from the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA)
 

acknowledgements
Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA)
and Planetário do Porto – Centro Ciência Viva
Catarina Keil, Diana Diegues, João Luís Gaspar,
Associação Ecológica Amigos dos Açores,
Centro Cultural do Carregal do Sal e Gruta do Carvão

production
Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA)
Planetário do Porto – Centro Ciência Viva
Ganso Manso

funding
FCT PROJETO: MATÉRIA ESCURA E METAIS NAS GALÁXIAS (DARKMAGE) PTDC/FIS-AST/4862/2020
—
PORTUGAL, 2025