02-10-2025 – 01-02-2026, Civa, |indeterminate⟩⟨apparatus|, Belvedere 21, Arsenalstraße 1, 1030 Vienna (AT)
Quantum Mirror allows the concept of quantum state to be experienced through the gaze of two observers. A double-sided mirror, from which an algorithmic pattern is cut out, is held simultaneously by two persons opposite to each other. While one sees 50% of their own reflection, the other 50% are the direct image of the other one’s face. The uncanny image produced of the two persons merged into one, echoes the concept of superposition from quantum mechanics.
The principle of superposition also underlies the renowned thought experiment Schrödinger’s cat,which demonstrates the idea in quantum physics that tiny particles can be in two states at once (superposition) until they’re observed and the superposition collapses. This is the starting point for Quantum Mirror, both in its design and its experience.
The two persons facing each other through their physiological stereoscopic apparatus, the eyes, search and alternate in parallax – the change in position of the reflected image relative to the background. Metaphorically, this image merging could be regarded as a re-construction rather than the collapse of the superposition. The blending of two faces into one also reminds us of the digital equivalents known as a ‘face-swap’. Due to its physicality and tangibility, Quantum Mirror evokes an alienating as well as an oddly intimate experience. Between seeing through and reflection, the two faces merge with instability, as any micro movement affects the image formed.
The algorithm for Quantum Mirror was developed in collaboration with Rob Bothof and it generates unique patterns for each materialization of the work.
The work premiered in the exhibition ‘The hand that searched in the void‘, at Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen, Netherlands, from 15 March to 09 June, 2024. During the ‘Night of Discoveries’ (14-09-2024) Quantum Mirror was shown at the Old Observatory in Leiden where Dutch scientist Willem de Sitter collaborated with Albert Einstein collaborated in their research. During Entangled Codes: Quantum Connection (06-12-2024), the work was shown in a collaborative program between iii and Stroom Den Haag exploring the complexity and wonderment of quantum mechanics.
