Libby Heaney: Heartbreak and Magic

A new virtual reality artwork and physical installation by the award-winning
Somerset House Studios artist and quantum physicist Dr. Libby Heaney.

Drawing on Libby Heaney's own experience with personal grief and sudden loss, the
artwork explores the non-binary and non-local qualities of quantum physics to offer
alternative perspectives on how we think and feel about the self and existence. The
immersive installation invites you to connect deeply with emotions by exploring the
layers of self in both the physical and virtual realms.

Heartbreak and Magic will include virtual reality artwork set within a specially designed physical installation featuring mixed-media paintings, connecting to the virtual experience. You can expect a shifting, multilayered landscape that seeks to evoke themes of cyclicity, liminality, and the multiverse.

The installation continues Heaney’s explorations into the “magical” possibilities of
quantum physics – in particular the inherent plurality and interconnectedness within
concepts such as superposition and entanglement. Heaney developed the work
through an iterative, experimental process involving both physical and digital forms
of creativity, from movement practice, writing, drawing, and painting to bespoke
quantum computing code and game engine prototyping. Heartbreak and Magic brings her experimentation with quantum computing into virtual reality for the first time.

Heartbreak and Magic is commissioned by VIVE Arts in partnership with Somerset
House.

Host or Publisher Gazelli Art House