Quantum immersions
This evening of performances will bring to a close a residency program developed in collaboration between the Institut Quantique (IQ) of the Université de Sherbrooke, Sporobole and the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT), Montreal.
The aim of the residency was to explore a variety of artistic approaches to quantum science and technologes. To this end, the project acknowledges the specificities and limits of both artistic and scientific practices, as well as their differences. To avoid the reciprocal instrumentalization of art and science – a risk faced by all arts-science initiatives – the project’s approach has been to encourage resonances between the two fields. Echoing the principle of constructive interference – where aligned waves amplify each other – this project explores how resonances between art and science can create more intense experiences and reveal new dimensions of understanding.
Primarily funded by the Dialogues quantiques research project, this artistic project enabled three female composers – Erin Gee, France Jobin and Jessica Moss – to immerse themselves in the IQ research environment, meeting and exchanging with a range of researchers over the course of four micro-residencies in 2024 and 2025. Each of the three composers approaches the resonances between art and science through her own perspective and sensibility, each developing a specific way of integrating the discoveries made during this process into her own musical practice.
From the outset of the project, the curatorial approach, led by Pia Baltazar, has drawn on the queer epistemology of quantum physics proposed by Professor Barad. In particular, Barad argues that quantum physics has provoked a profound questioning of the founding principles of classical representation – rooted in Euclidean geometry and Newtonian mechanics – not only in the field of physics, but also in our understanding of the workings of knowledge and the very nature of the fabric of reality. In their view, this dealt a fatal blow to the idea that classical forms of representation could be adequate to convey the specific understanding of time, space and matter introduced by quantum physics. This project takes this observation as its starting point and draws the consequences by focusing on the way in which music entangles time, space and matter in its own mysterious logic, proposing a medium as fluid and elusive as the quantum world it seeks to echo.
This intertwining of matter and space will be particularly explored using through sound immersion techniques and methodologies: drawing on the Scénophonie research project, led in collaboration between the SAT and Sporobole, and in relation to Sporobole’s points d’ouïe project, as part of which this evening will be presented. Here, the three composers will offer the audience a chance to hear the current state of their research and creative processes, whose final presentation is planned at the SAT in autumn 2026, within the production Structures of Nothingness.
In Teleport, Erin Gee uses biofeedback technologies to transform physiological signals (heart rate, respiration, skin conductance) in real time into electronic sounds inspired by quantum technologies and Qubits. Drawing on quantum teleportation and the ideas of physicist Elizabeth Rauscher, she conceives of emotion as quantum data transmissible through sound frequencies and states of full awareness. Her voice guides listeners through psychological superimpositions, mobilizing techniques derived from ASMR, hypnosis and placebo. Through sound and light, she induces altered states of sensitivity and attention. Teleport thus explores the intersections between the human body, affective computing and digital media, placing emotion in a perspective derived from quantum logic.
The fluctuation of emptiness is a sound art performance by France Jobin, that explores the principles of quantum computing through auditory expression. By interpreting the behavior of electrons and their quantum states, the performance translates the abstract workings of quantum algorithms into an immersive and evolving soundscape. Key elements such as stable electron pairs – Cooper pairs – BCS (soundscape), quantum errors (modular analog synthesis) and the fluctuations of emptiness are woven into the performance, enhanced by spatialization techniques inspired by “multiplexing Qbit addressing”.
Jessica Moss will be presenting new music from her upcoming album, titled Unfolding. Within the scope of her Sporo/SAT/IQ research, she’s been exploring the concept of coherence: in human experience a harmonious, unified state that transcends individual elements; in quantum physics the synchronized state of quantum particles, where their wavefunctions align in such a way that they work together harmoniously.
Moss has observed over time as a touring musician that there are certain musical elements that seem to consistently resonate with a very deep emotional expression from audiences. This has led her to explore, on both an artistic and political level, the power (and with it the responsibility) the performer may hold when consciously creating such an experience; one that aims to transcends individuality into a collective state. This performance at Sporobole will be her first foray into using spatialized sound as a conduit for this experience.
CURATION AND ART-SCIENCE COORDINATION
Pia Baltazar is an intermedia composer, indisciplinary researcher and directress of arts-sciences development at the Société des Arts Technologiques de Montréal (Québec, Canada). With a triple background in engineering, art philosophy and musical composition, her artistic and technological research has been developing for over twenty years at the intersection of interactive design and artistic production. She is particularly interested in the creative possibilities of the encounters between the senses (vision, hearing, touch…) and the involvement of the body and gesture in the creative process.
In her role as Directress of Arts & Science Development at SAT, she is responsible for developing innovative collaborations and partnerships with local and international artistic and academic communities. In particular, she seeks to develop arts-science projects and set up research-creation processes in artistic practice environments.
Crédit photo : Pía Baltazar
