Q is for Climate (?), 2023

The work Q is for Climate (?) proposes a new quantum-based understanding of our environment, and its titular question asks whether the quantum computer can help guide us out of the climate crisis. Simulated landscapes merge with animations of quantum computer casings and octopus tentacles. The images are overlaid with black, oily slime that pours over the landscape, accompanied by a pulsating sound. «Quantum particles are shape-shifting. Their properties literally come into being through entanglements with the rest of the environment,» writes Heaney. This is evoked in the work by the multitude of superimpositions and perspectives that refer to non-linear time in quantum physics, where particles can move in all directions simultaneously. Instead of harnessing the potential of quantum computers to further drive extractive capitalism, the principle of quantum entanglement could serve as an example of how a non-binary, queer, and plural quantum-based understanding of the world, where both human and non-human actors are equal, could help us live in a more harmonious coexistence.