[Acrylic] Q cs. C

Title: Q vs C

Size: 34x48 

Completed: 2004 or 5? 

Media: Plywood, Acyrlic, paint golden pearlescence, copper wire and coffee stains

TLDR: This is my attempt to artistically show the unification of quantum mechanics and classical physics.

This work was completed in 2004 or 2005 when I was reading a lot of physics books. The goal was to show artistically the interface between quantum mechanics and classical mechanics, hence the title Q, meaning quantum, and C meaning Classical. In the work, grooves have been carved with a router, and inlaid with copper wire. Copper wire here represents classical mechanics. Around the three circles shown is golden pearlescent splatter paint, the chaotic nature which represents the seeming randomness in the quantum world. While an electron in classical mechanics would have a precise size, definitive shape, position, etc, in the quantum world there is a field of probabilities and the dichotomy between the copper wire (definitive thickness, position, purity, etc….) and the golden pearlescent paint is supposed to reflect that. Copper wire was originally installed as unoxidized wire (i.e. bright), and its been allowed to degrade unsealed. Thus as it slowly oxidizes it will develop a nice green patina. This is also representative of classical mechanics, which was held as “bright” example of man’s ability to understand nature completely, and yet it will perceivably decay and be diminished by the more recent theory of quantum mechanics which adds a bit of randomness to the ordered clockwork world of classical mechanics.  Thus quantum mechanics was painted as “golden,” as if it was the golden child. As well, when the copper decays it will establish a patina of green, which is also traditionally the color on envy. Additional linear grooves have been carved into the work to represent the precise nature of classical mechanics, while the remaining space has random golden splatters within it, again to represent the chaotic nature of the quantum world. Additionally other colors have been splattered as well on the work, for instance purples that are meant to represent virtual particles. This was in part to represent the particles believed to allow the evaporation of black holes, which spontaneously form within the vacuum of space as positive- negative partners. Behind all of this chaotic spatter paint (representing quantum mechanics), and precise inlaid wire (classical mechanics) are a series of gouges carved into the plywood surface with the greatest concentration at the bottom of the work. This is representative of dark matter/ dark energy, as pieces of the plywood have been physically removed from the work with a chisel, just as within nature the majority of matter is missing (normal matter represents ~4% of matter, while the rest is “missing,” in the hypothesized form of dark matter and dark energy). The gradient reflects that the missing matter has some structure to it, but it’s over all shape is unknown. The painting itself is surrounded by strips of 2x4 that act as a frame, whose outer most surface (parallel to the wall surface) has been cleared of paint, sanded, stained with coffee grounds, and then sealed. This was done as a replacement to traditional stains to reflect the significant amount of coffee that has been drunk trying to understand how these two phenomenon interact since it was theorized by professionals and by the artist himself in trying to vaguely understand it.  Personally, this painting was great to have in my room after I completed it, since it smelled like coffee for about a year. The top of the work lacks framing, which is done to make illumination easier from above to enhance the observation of texture within the work.