CQT unveils two murals painted by artist-in-residence Carmen de Matos

Carmen spent a month at CQT drawing ideas from quantum physics and Singaporean culture

Carmen at work on one of two murals she developed during her residency at CQT.

Artist Carmen de Matos has concluded a month-long residency at CQT by unveiling two murals that blend quantum science and Singaporean culture. She presented the murals, painted on walls inside and outside the Centre, at an event on 6 October.

From Badajoz in Spain, Carmen is a visual artist who explores the concepts of memory, identity and heritage through her work. She was invited to visit CQT after she attended a talk by the Centre’s Director on quantum technologies. CQT has hosted occasional creative residencies for artists and writers since 2011, recognising science as part of human culture.

During her residency, Carmen visited quantum optics and quantum processor labs and met researchers to learn about their work. “I never studied quantum or physics before, so a lot of concepts were new to me,” Carmen says. “I learnt a lot that I will want to develop in the future.”

Wanting to share her process with the community in turn, she set up an open studio space and gave a talk on her artistic practice.

“Having an artist-in-residence has been an enriching experience. As a quantum expert at CQT, it is sometimes easy to forget that quantum phenomena seem ‘strange’ from a newcomer’s perspective. The process of sharing with Carmen what is familiar to us and unfamiliar to her resulted in new points of view,” says Sergi Ramos-Calderer, a CQT Research Fellow working at the National Quantum Computing Hub, who arranged some of the lab tours.

“Visiting her work and seeing what parts of quantum, CQT and Singapore came through in Carmen’s art is exciting,” he adds.

The murals

Carmen’s first mural titled ‘A Dining Hall of One’s Own’ imagines pioneers of modern physics Albert Einstein, Lise Meitner and Satyendra Nath Bose having teh tarik – ‘pulled tea’ – which is a popular drink in Singapore. It is located at a bridge between CQT labs in adjacent buildings, where researchers gather at picnic benches. Viewed from a certain point, the mural merges into the landscape of the trees outside. In developing the mural, Carmen was thinking about the anthropology of public spaces and how the Centre’s social spaces allow people to hold intimate conversations in public.

Her second mural, located at CQT’s level one, mixes traditional culture with futuristic technology. ‘The heritage of small things’ depicts a lion dance on quantum computing equipment. In Chinese culture, a lion dance is traditionally performed to bring good fortune for events like the opening of a new business or to welcome the new year. Sometimes the dance involves performers leaping on top of tall wooden poles, which the artwork replaces with quantum computing equipment, including a dilution refrigerator and qubit control electronics.

To inspire her murals, Carmen made time to experience Singapore’s culture beyond CQT’s science, visiting landmarks such as Masjid Sultan, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, Sri Krishnan Temple, Haji Lane, Gelam Gallery and the National Gallery.

She says, “Because my work explores the concepts of memory and social heritage, it was very inspiring for me to see the mix of technology and heritage in Singapore.”