Higgs

Never has there been a greater need for an accessible, workable explanation of the Higgs Boson. After the discovery of the elusive “God particle” last year, the follow-up frenzy into the idea of supersymmetry has been fraught with indecipherable physics jargon; even the broadsheets have had trouble describing what happened. Dutch theologian Jan van den Berg sheds some light on the subject though, with this performance lecture on the concept of all-things miniature: atoms, neutrinos, particles, the works.

He infuses Higgs with his clear love of physics, guiding us through the most intricate notions of matter, mind-bogglingly thorny facts such as the billions of particles that pass through our fingertips every second. Indeed it’s fascinating, akin to the astrophysics lecture delivered by Alex Kelly during The Bloody Great Border Ballad Project at St Stephen’s, and familiar to popular programmes aired across the BBC with stargazer Brian Cox.

But as a piece of performance, this format suffers. Interesting as it may be, there’s no real drama here and van den Berg relies too heavily on his elaborate descriptions of scientific life. It’s engaging, but hardly theatrical, and as a result there’s little room for Higgs that couldn’t be more easily squeezed into a university classroom. Audiences can leave the venue comforted by their new found knowledge but can in no way expect to be moved, dramatically challenged or enlightened about the way in which science can be augmented by art. Certainly necessary and worthy, Higgs could just do with some dramaturgy.