The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

Our ideas about the building blocks of matter and the physical laws that govern their behaviour have been evolving for over 3,000 years. The emergence of quantum mechanics in the 20th century enabled scientists like Richard Feynman to understand nature’s secrets in new ways, leading to striking technological breakthroughs.

Yet quantum mechanics is famously difficult to comprehend. Taking inspiration from Feynman’s own highly visual way of thinking, the third section of the exhibition explores quantum physics, and its applications, through the visual medium of art.

Sculptures, installations, photographs and immersive environments made by contemporary artists, articulate the uncanny quantum world in a visual way. The artworks act as an introduction to six topics closely associated with Feynman’s work:

Parton Theory Weak Force Quantum Electrodynamics

Feynman Diagrams Nanotechnology Quantum Computers

There are artworks by 12 artists including: British digital artist, Markos R. Kay, Belgian artist Frederik de Wilde, Thailand-based Japanese media artist, Eiji Sumi, Russian media artist, ::vtol::, American data visualisation pioneer, Edward Tufte, various German artists from the nano+art competition and Malaysian artist, Jun Ong.

Frederik De Wilde | Quantum Foam #2, 2018,3D printed polyamide, Number 1 in an edition of 7, Courtesy of the artist

Quantum Foam by Belgium artist Frederik De Wilde represents a speculative concept that emerged from the application of the uncertainty principle to our understanding of the fabric of space and time. According to this theory, when space-time is examined at fantastically small scale, it appears to fluctuate wildly like the violent, boiling surface of the water.

Markos Kay | Quantum Fluctuations, 2017, Digital Video (4 mins), Courtesy of the artist

In Quantum Fluctuations by British digital artist Markos Kay, particle simulations are used as the brush and paint to create abstract moving images that visualise events taking place in the microscopic world that cannot be observed directly. By using computer simulations as an artistic tool, this conceptual reimagining of quantum theory aims to challenge our ideas of how scientific observation and knowledge are formed.

Eiji Sumi |Quark IV, 2016, Mixed media installation, Sound by Thitipant Chongcharoenchokeskul, Installation view at The Art Centre, Thailand, 2016, Courtesy of the artist

Suspended in air, the light reflecting particles in Quark IV by artist Eiji Sumi creates both controlled and unpredictable patterns of movement. The internal structure of the sculpture Quark IV is only visible on close inspection and echoes the scientific exploration that led to the understanding of the structure of the proton with its partons moving independently. Perhaps this is how Feynman first imagined the internal structure of the proton.

European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN)  | Cloud chamber footage, Digital Video (14 min 30 sec), Courtesy of CERN

A cloud chamber is a sealed unit that contains water or alcohol vapour. When electrically charged particles pass through the chamber, the vapour ionises, making their path visible. This footage from a cloud chamber at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) allows us to see the tracks of electrons produced by beta decay due to the weak force as they appear.

::vtol:: | wave is my nature, 2015, Mixed media installation, Installation view at MARS Centre, Courtesy of the artist

wave is my nature by Russian artist ::vtol:: is a manifestation of the theory that Feynman came up with for the movement of light. The LED strips in this installation move in wave-like patterns, creating unique physical ‘light paths’ in space, demonstrating the movement of particles as they take ‘all possible paths’ while moving from one point to another.

Edward Tufte  |45 Feynman Diagrams: Ninth and Tenth Order QED, Contributions to Muon g-2, 2016 – 2018, Stainless steel, Collection of the artist

On display in the exhibition are 45 stainless steel Feynman Diagrams made by data visualisation pioneer, Edward Tufte.

Tufte notes that this artwork, “grows directly from Richard Feynman’s famous diagrams describing Nature’s subatomic behaviour. The mathematically derived and empirically verified visualisations represent the space-time paths taken by all subatomic particles in the universe. The resulting artworks are both beautiful and factual. Feynman Diagrams, used as a practical tool for 60 years by physicists, are among the very best information visualisations ever.”

Monika Lelonek | Grand Canyon, 2007, Backlit vinyl sticker, Courtesy of the nano+art initiative and the nano4women network of science2public

Nano+art is a competition that took place annually between 2005 and 2010. This competition was supported by nano4women, an international network that promotes women in nanotechnology. Participants used techniques based on the principals of nanotechnology in order to construct microscopic landscapes and sculptures, effectively establishing a new way to use science for the creation of artworks.

Images exhibited in the gallery are by Jeanette Böckmann, Monika Lelonek, Maria Lenk, Eva Mutoro, Pia Weinmann and Amelia Barreiro.

Jun Ong | Quantum, 2018, Mixed media installation, New Commission, Co-commissioned by ArtScience Museum and the Centre for, Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore in 2018

Co-commissioned by ArtScience Museum and the Centre for Quantum Technologies, Quantum is a responsive laser light installation inspired by the notion of quantum computing. It references a phenomenon known as entanglement, in which the quantum states of two or more objects are strongly connected even when the objects are spatially separated. Each mirror position is precisely placed to form continuous laser paths, so the immersive installation distorts dimension and spatial logic, akin to entanglement. In a quantum computer, patterns of entanglement between qubits would contribute to the machine’s computational power.