Protheses of Vision: A Neo-Materialist Analysis of the James Webb Space Telescope and its Image Performativity in the Scientific Communication of Astronomical Phenomena

Nina Caviezel

Our vision of the universe is significantly shaped by the images that are regularly published by NASA and its partners and that in some cases have attained almost iconic status. Since 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been producing images of astronomical phenomena that position themselves aesthetically between the scientific community and the general public. My PhD project investigates the production of astronomical images of the JWST using approaches from image and media theory in conjunction with neo-materialist theories. The main focus is on the imaging processes that translate data from infrared radiation into bright colors and thereby require conscious design decisions such as color choice, contrast, saturation, and composition in the tension between authenticity and aestheticization. The analysis is based on Karen Barad’s concept of the apparatus, which encompasses the material-discursive practices and agential cuts in the visualization of astronomical phenomena. It thus also includes practices before and after the actual imaging, such as its verbal contextualization in popular science magazines or its manifestation in commercial household objects such as cups, calendars or puzzles. In the spirit of Visual Science and Technology Studies, the project methodically also considers audio-visual, artistic-research approaches to this thematic complex.