Events

The Icon of the Black Hole: Aesthetics and Evidence for Existence

Focusing on aesthetics in the context of visual observation, I argue that the first image of the shadow of a black hole from observation has not only become an icon; it has come to represent black holes more broadly, including in fields that have nothing to do with observation; and it has also come to influence the iconography of black holes beyond images based on observations. While tracing some of the many roles aesthetics have played in the history of black hole imaging, I also describe the development of views about evidence for the existence of black holes from the late 1990s to the present, and how similar views reemerged after the releases of Event Horizon Telescope results in 2019 and in 2022. I then show how aesthetics and views of evidence became entangled in parts of the reception of the results. The reception also grew far beyond questions of evidence, sometimes focused mainly on views of aesthetic appeal, often portrayed through humour tied to new forms of the image. Finally, I discuss this history in light of recent philosophical work on evidence for the existence of black holes.

Monday, September 21, 2026 9:30 AM

Inperson
BHI Conference Room

Virtual
Zoom