Le Laboratoire is pleased to present, for the first time in Europe, a personal exhibition of the Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda, a major figure of the sound and visual electronic scene. From his correspondence with the American mathematician Benedict Gross, he has conceived a work where the definition of the sublime blends with the immateriality of infinity. Welcome to a world of millimeter precision. From Infinity to the sublime, Ryoji Ikeda instills a new dimension whose theoretical definition embraces the science of mathematics. The sublime exists. Benedict Gross, a number theorist at Harvard University contributed to this mathematical and philosophical sphere. His encounter with Ryoji Ikeda suggests the possibility of a common aesthetic language for art and science. According to Benedict Gross, “when you discover a mathematical truth, everything immediately becomes clear. It’s so easy to understand. You don’t want to touch it. The beauty of mathematics is just a pleasure to behold”. What is this immensity hidden behind number? And what if the multitude of figures making up a number was made palpable... Would this make infinity accessible? Would the immaterial be then rendered material?

The original edition of this book is included in a box containing three elements: the book, a “transparent soul”, and 9 photographs of the « V≠L » exhibition, at le Laboratoire from October 11th, 2008 to January, 12th, 2009

350 copies of the first English edition have been printed and numbered