What happens when you combine a Hieronymus Bosch painting with the power of quantum computing? British artist and quantum physicist Libby Heaney decided to find out, and the result is her exhibition Ent–, presented by Light Art Space. Shown in the Ernst Schering Foundation project space, this immersive show is the first ever to be created with a quantum computer. Taking the form of an interactive 360° installation, the work makes future technology tangible both as a subject and as a material. It’s inspired by Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights”, a surreal scene that Heaney turns into a virtual universe that brings all the pictorial elements to life. Instead of recreating the creatures that populate Bosch’s picture puzzle, Heaney lets her own quantum creatures loose in the landscape. Originating from her own watercolors and animated with the help of quantum programming, Heaney’s figures emerge, dissolve, then emerge again.
For Heaney, the contrasts between Bosch’s heaven and hell evoke the development of quantum computing. While the superior computing power of these cutting-edge machines offers the promise of salvation for research and business, the negative effects this power can have on privacy are already becoming clear. Quite how our lives will be changed by quantum computers remains unknown, but Heaney’s art gives a glimpse of this double-edged development.
Text: Laura Storfner / Photos: Andrea Rosetti / Credit: Libby Heaney, Ent-, Installation view: Schering Stiftung, Berlin, 2022
Schering Stiftung Project Space, Unter den Linden 32–34, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Libby Heaney – Ent– until 01.05.2022, Thur–Fri 13–19h, Sat & Sun 11–19h. You can book a slot online.
