SEARCHING FOR NOTHING
The now forgotten East German particle physicist Hubertus M. Frassek believed in the existence of incredibly small black holes. He dreamt of traveling through Southern Germany in a mobile laboratory in order to prove his theories. Why Southern Germany? No one knows anymore. Decades later, Jan Köchermann brought this dream to life again. At the invitation of the Kunstverein Göppingen, he undertook the hitherto unfulfilled, odd expedition with Frassek’s Space Collector. The publication itself becomes become part of the “rolling dream along the frontiers of science” as documentation and artist’s book.

In the course of his studies, Hubertus M. Frassek, who had also become a member of the Physical Society of the GDR, began to have increasingly strong doubts about the existing atomic model. He put forward the theory that every atom has its own universe and that infinity exists even in that which is microscopically small.

To prove his theory, he concentrated his research on the hypothesis that it must be possible to render visible the black holes that exist within the infinitely numerous micro-universes. In a private laboratory, he spent more than 14 years developing apparatus in which he used spectroscopy to attempt the detection of the smallest black holes. In this way, his work referred to the phenomenon of the aura believed to surround every black hole.

In 1965, Frassek published the preliminary results of his research in the scientific journal Fortschritte der Physik [Progress in Physics]. His colleagues in the Physical Society dismissed his approach as philosophical-esoteric fantasy and ridiculed it. But Frassek continued his research unwaveringly. He began to consider a mobile laboratory with which he could prove his hypothesis. His plan was to install special apparatus and devices on a transport vehicle, such as the then-current Multicar M22, in order to capture and make visual recordings of the microscopic black holes found in outer space.

Artist Jan Köchermann learned about the exceptional life story of Hubertus M. Frassek from an acquaintance who turned out to the be the researcher’s nephew. Based on the studies and notes of Frassek, Köchermann designed Frassek’s Space Collector. This is not only a homage to a nutty researcher, but also a successful coming together of physics and art.

Two funnels, a large round one that projects over the driver’s cab and a square tunnel-like one equipped with filters, function as recording and capturing stations for the microcosmic peculiarities. An oscilloscope, pressure gauge, mass spectrometer and monitor assist in the specialized research. Köchermann bought the all-purpose vehicle, the Multicar M22, from an eBay seller in the former GDR, repurposing it, with both an artistic and Frassekian intent, into a mobile laboratory. In October 2019, Köchermann (together with Frassek’s Space Collector) accepted an invitation from the Kunstverein Göppingen to create a public art project. An art book named Frassek’s Space Collector is now published in this context.

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