Event
Star fashion
What We See, and What We See in It
Sunday, 13 December 2026 · 16:30–19:30
What does light reveal, and how much meaning do we project onto what we see? One reads the stars, the other reads fashion. Both seek to uncover the reality behind appearances — using entirely different ways of seeing.
What can we really learn about the world simply by looking at it? And how much of what we see comes from the world itself, rather than from our own interpretations?
Róbert Szakáts is an astronomer at the Konkoly Observatory whose research explores some of the Solar System's smaller and more distant objects. By studying their brightness, variations in reflected light, and thermal radiation, he helps uncover the physical properties of asteroids and other celestial bodies: their size, shape, rotation, and surface characteristics. Some of these objects appear as little more than points of light, yet careful observation, mathematical models, and scientific reasoning allow us to discover a surprisingly complex reality behind their appearance.
Gábor Szakács approaches the visible world from an entirely different direction. A fashion blogger, fashion history educator, and haute couture expert, he has been a regular guest at Paris Fashion Week since 2019. His work explores not only spectacular collections and emerging trends but also the artistic intentions, historical influences, cultural identities, and social transformations expressed through fashion. To him, clothing is far more than a practical necessity or a passing trend. It is an art form, a means of self-expression, and a constantly evolving visual language.
What happens when these two ways of observing and interpreting the world collide?
An asteroid that appears particularly bright is not necessarily larger than another. It may simply reflect more sunlight. Likewise, an extravagant outfit may reveal something entirely different from what we initially assume about the person wearing it. In both worlds, light carries information, but appearances alone rarely tell the whole story. Context, knowledge, and interpretation are essential.
Is beauty an objective property of the universe, or something created by the observer? Why do certain shapes, colours, proportions, and patterns strike us as beautiful? Are there principles of harmony that connect natural phenomena with artistic creation? And why are we so fascinated by brilliance, rarity, and the extraordinary, whether we encounter them in the night sky, in precious jewellery, or on the runway?
The two worlds also have a fascinating relationship with time.
Astronomy uses light from the past to reconstruct the history of celestial objects and understand their possible futures. Fashion constantly reinvents the past while attempting to anticipate, and sometimes actively shape, what comes next. One seeks the physical laws behind change; the other explores how human taste, identity, and cultural meaning evolve.
Yet there is a fundamental difference between their subjects.
Celestial bodies do not deliberately control how they appear to an observer. People do. We choose our clothes, construct our image, and sometimes carefully manipulate the impressions we create. Fashion can communicate identity, belonging, rebellion, aspiration, or even an identity we have not yet achieved.
But where does self-expression end and illusion begin? Can appearances ever be trusted? And what happens when artificial intelligence becomes capable of creating convincing visual realities that may have no physical counterpart?
Perhaps the most provocative question is this:
Could we know more about the physical nature of a distant asteroid than about the personality of someone sitting directly across from us?
In this Interference, two Iterators meet at the boundary between appearance and reality.
The astronomer deciphers signals from the natural world. The fashion expert interprets the visual language of human culture. One relies on measurements, models, and physical laws; the other draws on history, artistic expression, and social meaning.
Their encounter is not about deciding whose interpretation is more accurate. It is about discovering what each can learn from the other's way of seeing, and whether their different perspectives can reveal questions neither would have thought to ask alone.
Because perhaps the most interesting thing about what we see is not what is actually there, but what we believe we are seeing.