Insigħt
In September 2021, the team created Democritus, the first artwork of the project ATOMICONS. This project reflects on what is the minimum number of atoms needed to create an artwork. ATOMICONS were created by numerically solving the Schrödinger equation for surface electrons in the presence of scattering atoms positioned by them. The artworks result from a 3D rendering of the obtained data. In the end each of us is made of elementary particles. The reality and the emotions that we perceive result from their interactions. ATOMICONS have been brought to life to let us sense this deep truth. Each ATOMICON could be physically realized and observed by using a scanning tunnel microscope (STM), a device based on quantum tunnelling. The STM can also be used to deliberately move atoms on the surface, allowing to create at the nanoscale. Up to the end of January 2022, the team released four ATOMICONS, minted on Foundation.app. Each of them was accompanied by a 3D/VR version gifted to each of the owners. These virtual Schrödinger sculptures can be rotated and zoomed in order to surf quantum probability waves. Democritus was followed by Quantum Love, Arthur (the frowning face), and Simone (the neutral face)
At the end of October, the trio minted the first artwork in collaboration with the German quantum computer start-up Kipu quantum. It was a generative art creation, found by randomly exploring the quantum space, the very big place where quantum states live, interact, and evolve. A very big magic place reminding our unconscious mind. This creature is a quantum superposition state of photonic states, visualized by using the Wigner function, a widely used tool in quantum optics.
Presently, this creation is part of the HackCollection, the private collection of the prominent digital art duo Hackatao. This creation was presented at the 1E9 THE_CONFERENCE 2021, Live from the Deutsches Museum, Munich in November 2021.