Introduction

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Ota: The Quantum Art Festival celebrates its third year, and is held in the form of online talk sessions. There are nine programs for a wide range of audiences, from beginners to experts.

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Purpose of the Quantum Art Festival

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Fujiwara: The Quantum Art Festival is a platform for exploring the social application of quantum computers under the theme of creating opportunities for people to come together, and is intended to serve as a place to envision the future through art.

It aims to solve social issues and to leap to a multidimensional future vision through art. In addition, its goal is to allow people to experience the technology behind quantum computers and promote understanding of the technology among the younger generation through art. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to properly understand the present and future of quantum computers and to deepen the understanding of new creation.

　　Quantum technology is often considered to be recondite, but with art, we aim to transform it into a more comprehensible form, both visually and intuitively, and make it more accessible to a broader audience. We hope that not only researchers and business people, but also the general public, including high school students, will participate in this event.

 

 

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What is quantum computer development?

Thoughts behind the Quantum Art Festival

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Mizuno: Quantum computers are being studied and developed all over the world. Japan is no exception, with many researchers taking part. Hitachi is participating in the Japanese Cabinet Office’s Moonshot Goal 6, which aims to realize a quantum computer. However, as evidenced by the fact that Moonshot Goal 6 is set for 2050, it will take a long time for a quantum computer to be generalized.

The Quantum Art Festival is being held to gain a proper understanding and support of the public about this long-term research. In particular, we’d like more people to have a correct and proper understanding of the quantum computer applications and the world powered by them. The world is full of hype.

　　When something has not yet been realized, it is very difficult to imagine a future world with it. Q-STAR, which currently has more than 100 member companies, is promoting a number of initiatives to boost the industry that is expected to emerge after a quantum computer is completed. This organization tackles the most daunting challenge among them.

　　Against this background, the Quantum Art Festival is working to find an approach to this topic from a completely different direction. It is supported by artists. We believe that artists are people who have the ability to express new ideas, or something outside of our ordinary thinking. Tackling this difficult task with the help of the artists—that is what the Quantum Art Festival is about.

 

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Relationship between art and science

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Aoki: People might wonder: What good is art? In 1969, the novelist Kurt Vonnegut gave a talk on the canary in the coal mine theory of art at the American Physical Society. The idea is that artists, as super-sensitive sensors of society, have a role to play in being the first to detect social trends and to alert the public.

　　One of the best examples of blending art and science is the Arts at CERN program at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Over the past 10 years, it has worked with more than 200 artists through its artist residency and commission programs. CERN researchers mentioned that working with artists “reminds us of the fundamentals about why we are doing this research.” We believe that the true value of merging art and science lies not only in creating artworks, but also in communicating with different people in the creation process, encouraging questions, adding value, delving into problems, and promoting mutual understanding. Furthermore, stimulating dialogue among many people through exhibiting works will lead to a common question and language, thus promoting social acceptance.

　　We believe that the art-science blend can be perceived as a research activity in a broad sense, which opens up the research and development that is often closed in dedication to the work at hand.

 

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Upcoming programs

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Fujiwara: The sessions will delve into quantum art from multiple perspectives, including industrial applications, artistic expression, and philosophical exploration of quantum technology. Experts from various fields will appear throughout the week to discuss the possibilities of the future. The discussions will be from a global perspective with international artists and experts. We hope that this event will provide an opportunity to ponder a new concept of society through the theme of “Quantum x Art.”