Proton Dancing: in The Land of Zero, A School within a School

In the 1990’s physicists at the Institut für Experimentalphysik, Universität Innsbruck, conducted an experiment where information about the quantum state of one photon was teleported to another particle, one of an entangled pair. The mechanics of how this works are difficult to grasp for the lay person. 

 

Working with a group of students at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Art we, with our distinct lack of specialist scientific knowledge, attempted to understand the experiment by trying to enact it spatially through, interaction, movement and playful discussion. The workshop quest, where students took on the role of interacting protons, was as revealing about group dynamics and the role of creativity and speculation in problem solving as it was about the mechanics of a quantum transaction. This film records that endeavour where the process of editing became a way of gauging the creative space to be found between problems revealed, problems misunderstood and problems reframed. 

 

The video work ‘Proton Dancing’ (16 min 10 sec) which came out of that workshop was exhibited inThe Land of Zero, School within a School and Exhibitionin the Crawford Gallery Cork, alongside works by Bill Albertini and Clive Murphy and curated by Maud Cotter.  A presentation on O’Beirn’s other work was given at the School Within A Schoolwhich was moderated by moderated by Anthony Haughey. School contributors include Maud Cotter, Sigune Hamann, Aengus Woods, Padraig Spillane, Pluck Projects & The Good Hatchery, Bill Albertini, Clive Murphy and Dr. Ed Krčma.

 

With thanks to Nicole Hewitt of Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts and Nives Sertić, Vanja Babić, Anton Svetić, Vitar Drinković & Dejan Gotić.