Physics World Stories Podcast · Physics World

Entangled expressions: where quantum science and art come together

·57 min·5 clips

Florian explains how a quantum art installation only works when nobody is inside, revealing the observer effect in action.

This episode of the Physics World Stories podcast explores the art-science collaboration program at the Yale Quantum Institute (YQI). Host Andrew Glester speaks with Florian Kahl, the institute's managing director, and artist Serena Scappagnini. Kahl, a former rocket scientist, now oversees a program embedding artists within the quantum research community. The Yale Quantum Institute, founded in 2014, houses about 350 researchers across disciplines like applied physics, chemistry, and computer science. Kahl initiated an artist-in-residence program in 2017, inspired by similar interdisciplinary efforts in his native France. The program matches artists with researchers for year-long residencies, culminating in public installations or performances. A key early installation by artist Martha Lewis used a webcam and an algorithm to visualize quantum superposition and the observer effect. Sound artist Spencer Topel collaborated with graduate students to create the album "Quantum Sounds" using sonified data from quantum computers. Artist Serena Scappagnini's recent residency focused on quantum memory and the Kerr effect, where light encodes information. She developed drawings and 3D models from software that visualized the pure states of light during quantum information encoding. Her installation features delicate paper works with hidden engraved metal plates, representing the often-invisible nature of quantum phenomena. One of her artworks has been acquired for the YQI's permanent collection, and a solo show is installed at the Yale Haas Family Arts Library. A surprising insight is that the only way to solve the puzzle in Martha Lewis's installation was for no human observer to be inside it, mimicking how observation collapses quantum states. Kahl notes the program successfully attracts diverse audiences, with some prospective Yale students citing the art as a reason for their application. The collaboration also circles back to science, as the sonification process for the "Quantum Sounds" album led to a peer-reviewed scientific chapter. Scientists initially questioned the need for artists but now gain new perspectives on their own data through these artistic interpretations. Kahl finds personal satisfaction in the hands-on work of installing physical artworks, like threading fishing lines through Scappagnini's delicate paper pieces. The art often directly responds to recent scientific breakthroughs, such as a 2022 advance in real-time quantum error correction. The program operates on a modest budget and represents about 10% of Kahl's duties as managing director, though he would welcome a full-time role in this area. The tone is conversational, educational, and enthusiastic, focusing on the process and philosophy of interdisciplinary collaboration. The style is interview-based, with the host weaving in his own brief anecdote about creating science art. Listeners interested in science communication, interdisciplinary art, or accessible entry points into quantum concepts would love this episode. Those seeking deep technical explanations of quantum physics or critical analysis of the art's scientific accuracy might find it less suited to their interests.

As heard by us

A measured look at quantum research becoming music and public-facing art.

Physics World Stories turns the Yale Quantum Institute's art residency into a grounded human account of how musicians, physicists, and artist Serena Scappagnini are trying to make quantum ideas audible and visible.

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Quantum physics, music, and a Yale artist residency.

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