ALL POSSIBLE FUTURES
All Possible Futures – Quantum Flux #1 (2018–2019) x Quantum Flux #2 (2018–2019)
All Possible Futures_Quantum Flux #1 and #2 offer a hypnotic audiovisual meditation on the foundational uncertainties of the quantum world. Drawing directly from the unpredictable fabric of subatomic phenomena, the work invites viewers into a sensorial portal—an otherworldly encounter shaped by a temporality that diverges from our everyday understanding of time. At its core lies a cinematic visualisation generated through real-time quantum measurement data, transforming otherwise invisible fluctuations into experiential form.
In contrast to the deterministic logic of the classical Turing machine—our archetype of calculable and programmable intelligence—the quantum domain resists binary simplicity. Within this subatomic stratum, Aristotelian logics of “true” and “false,” of discrete yes/no binaries, give way to a much more ambiguous terrain. Here, potentialities proliferate—a landscape evocative of the surreal logic of Alice in Wonderland, where states can coexist and evolve in indeterminate superposition.
In this project, the artist channels a live data stream of truly random numbers, extracted from a laser-based tabletop experiment involving entangled photons. This data—transmitted over the internet into a bespoke software environment—serves not only as a generative aesthetic engine but as a philosophical conduit to the quantum substrate: the zero-point field, or ground-state energy of the universe. Without these incessant quantum fluctuations, the visible material world would not be possible; it is upon this vacillating sea of energetic indeterminacy that reality itself is suspended.
By turning quantum noise into audiovisual form, the work foregrounds a critical dialogue with current technological trajectories. The rapid development of quantum computation carries with it a paradoxical promise: on one hand, it heralds revolutionary breakthroughs in molecular design, pharmaceuticals, and materials science; on the other, it threatens to upend contemporary notions of security, privacy, and global stability. A functioning quantum computer could render current cryptographic systems obsolete, undermining the foundations of digital infrastructure. Yet, at the same time, the emergent field of quantum cryptography may offer radical new protocols of privacy, promising safeguards previously unimaginable through classical means.
In All Possible Futures, the artist does not merely represent quantum mechanics—he collaborates with it. The work becomes a performative field in which quantum phenomena are both material and metaphor, input and inscription.
Special thanks to Dr. Thomas Symul of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology for his generous support and expertise. Additional thanks to Frederik Vanhoutte for his contributions.
