Libby Heaney, ‘Ent- (non-earthly delights)’, 2024 

Libby Heaney, Ent- (non-earthly delights), 2024

Mild steel, fibreglass, acrylic plexiglass, two AR experiences accessible via QR codes. Presented by Gazelli Art House 

About the Work

Building upon Heaney’s exploration of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, this new sculptural work offers a unique and immersive experience that challenges perceptions and sparks dialogue about the potentials and pitfalls of quantum technologies. Ent- was originally showcased at museums including HEK Basel, ZKM Karlsruhe and various galleries and fairs across Europe and US. The playable version will be on view at Gazelli Art House, London for the duration of Frieze Sculpture 2024. 

Ent- (non-earthly delights) explores the transformative changes that quantum computing is expected to wreak on the future of everyday life. Visitors interact with Ent- (non-earthly delights) via QR codes which activate the sculpture through Bosch-inspired scenes from Ent-. Heaney uses her self-written quantum computing code to manipulate and animate her own watercolour paintings, drawing on the inherent non-binary logic of quantum to centre and celebrate hybrid creatures inspired by Bosch’s mediaeval monsters, landscapes that seem to shift and breathe, and exploding structures that float and re-form. In her work, Heaney chooses to work with watercolour in particular because the bleeding of colours into one another reflects the merging and blurring of the quantum world. 

Ent- (non-earthly delights) explores the dualities inherent in our pursuit of technological progress. Quantum computing is based on a non-binary, ‘queer’ logic and holds the promise of unparalleled computing power, yet it also raises concerns about surveillance capitalism and the disruption of existing encryption methods vital for privacy and data protection.

About the Artist

Dr Libby Heaney (b. London; lives and works in London, UK) is an award-winning visual artist with a PhD and professional research background in quantum information science. As a scientist, Heaney has worked at the University of Oxford and National University of Singapore. She was the recipient of the HSBC and Institute of Physics, Very Early Career Woman in Physics award. In 2015 Heaney graduated from Central St. Martins, London with a focus on AI and kinetic sculpture.

Heaney has exhibited at institutions including Ars Electronica, Linz; Tate Modern, London; and V&A Museum, London. Her significant solo exhibitions and performances include ‘Quantum Soup’, HEK, Basel; ‘Heartbreak and Magic’, Somerset House, London; ‘The Evolution of Ent-: QX’, arebyte Gallery, London; ‘The Whole Earth Chanting’, Sónar Festival, Barcelona; CASCADE, Southbank Centre, London and Ent-, LAS Art Foundation, Berlin. From 2017 to 2024 she was a resident of Somerset House Studios in London. In 2022, Heaney won the Lumen Prize and Falling Walls Art & Science award.

Frieze Sculpture is in The Regent’s Park, 18 September – 27 October 2024. No booking required, free to all. 

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Further Information 

Frieze Sculpture runs alongside Frieze London and Frieze Masters, 9 – 13 October.

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^{Main image: Libby Heaney, Ent- (non-earthly delights) (mock-up), 2024. Mild steel, fibreglass, acrylic plexiglass, two AR experiences accessible via QR codes. Courtesy: the artist and Gazelli Art House}