Ina Conradi & Mark Chavez
Moirai, Thread of Life

“The very nature of materiality is in entanglement. Matter itself is always already open to or entangled with “Other.” The intra-actively emergent “parts” of phenomena are co-constituted. Not only subjects but also objects are permeated through and through with their entangled kin; the other is not just on one’s skin, but in one’s bones, in one’s belly, in one’s heart, in one’s nucleus, in one’s past and future.” Karen Barad

Conradi and Chavez’s practice is unpinned by observation, experience, and stories to attempt to explain the world. In this work, they contemplate: What if the quantum mechanism were to govern all things? Could these principles surface in daily life? Might they eventually explain the universe and reveal a unified truth to satisfy all inquiries?

This artwork draws inspiration from the paradoxes of modern physics, including entanglement, quantum superposition, spacetime, and wave-particle duality. It explores how these concepts intersect with artistry, intangible heritage, and the aesthetics of ceremonial textiles from the Maritime Silk Road, specifically Indonesia (Sumatra). The artists use the ancient symbolism found in Southeast Asian textiles to represent the invisible, counterintuitive phenomena of quantum physics.

Rather than employing scientific methods, hypotheses, or mathematical models, the project illustrates how science and art can intersect and enrich one another. Southeast Asian fabrics serve as the foundation, with the processes and materiality of fabric becoming a visual language to explore quantum theories and their relevance to everyday life.

The principle of quantum superposition, where a system can exist in multiple states simultaneously, parallels the interplay of warp and weft in weaving. Quantum systems—atoms, photons, or spins—may exist in two distinct states at once, much like threads forming patterns in textiles. Wave-particle duality, where an electron behaves as both particle and wave (Bobroff, 2014), is reflected in the dual nature of fabric: its front, back, and the patterns emerging from every warp and weft.

Patterns arise from the interlacing of warp and weft, transforming formlessness into form. The horizontal and vertical threads resemble binary states, such as 0 and 1. This process evokes Schrödinger’s cat experiment, where superposition collapses into a definite state upon observation. Each warp or weft decision could represent a quantum choice, yielding a multitude of possibilities. The artists imagine these patterns existing in a multidimensional space.

In this “tesseract of fabrics,” each piece contains vital information about the world, from parallels and space-time to dimensions. Together, they visualise a possible unified truth, where the seen and unseen worlds converge. This idea aligns with the many-worlds interpretation (MWI), where all quantum outcomes manifest in parallel worlds or universes.
Moirai: Thread of Life symbolises origins, the span of life, connections between past and present, and human destiny. Inspired by Greek mythology, Moirai, the goddess of fate and destiny, weaves threads of life into observable states. In this interpretation, she entangles individuals with their multiple destinies, existing simultaneously in quantum superposition until these threads collapse into a singular reality.

Acknowledgements:

With Prof. Rainer’s assistance, the team received valuable feedback on the accuracy of their original ideas and graphic storyboards, which proved invaluable to the project.

During this time, the team also studied textiles and various craft traditions of Southeast Asia (Maxwell & Gittinger, 2014). This research not only enriched the project’s visual development but also reconnected Conradi with her decade-long background in traditional textile training and weaving.

A key inspiration came from Ikat textiles of the Indonesian Archipelago, sparking the idea of using data photos to create artificial intelligence-developed artworks. AI was employed to previsualize several key concepts for the film. Although not used in the final production, it added intricacy and depth to the textures in the conceptual phase.

References:

• Barad, Karen. Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2007.
• Bobroff, Julien. Quantum Made Simple. 2014. Accessed at http://www.quantummadesimple.com.
• Maxwell, Robyn. Textiles of Southeast Asia: Tradition, Trade, and Transformation. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 2014.