5th Dimensional Camera

Project Partners: Superflux | QIP IRC | DI, RCA | EPSRC | NESTAThe 5th Dimensional Camera

Hei!Anab Jain | Director, Superflux | Twitter: @Superflux

Hei! Good afternoon, hello everyone, thanks a lot to Sabrina for inviting me, to be part of such an exciting event. I have learnt so much this morning.

I was about seven when the world of the popular Indian comics Amar Chitra Katha, swept me away, from stories of monkey gods to ten-headed monsters sending rockets into parallel worlds...

who later came back to haunt me through the blaring television box in my teenage years.

One of my favourite stories was of Vishnu, the supporter of the seven realms of the earth and several other worlds below the land we stand on.. one night.. while sleeping on a thousand headed serpent dreamt up the universe.. and lo behold, emerged Brahma from his navel... brahma the creator of the universe, sat on the lotus.

Image Credit: http://www.hknet.org.nz/parishad115.htm

In another avatar, Vishnu is seen as the playful child Krishna, killing a venomous serpant while the snake princesses of the underworlds applaud.

And in yet story you’ll find the same Krishna, all grown up and holding massive mountains on his tiny finger to save friends and lovers from the angry wrath of the lords from the worlds above.

Images Credit: Chennai Urban Art Collection

And when not busy himself, he’d be watching how his friend Arjuna, a brave warrior is besotted by the serpant princess Uloopi and swept into a parallel world to marry her.

In his lion-man incarnation, Vishnu, he kills the famous demon Hiranyakaśipu - again a merger of multiverses

Image Credit: D. Hatcher Childress, "Ancient Indian Aircraft Technology" In The Anti-Gravity Handbook

And then there are these drawings of flying machines from those scriptures have left me slack jawed... Multiverses collided with time travel, atomic manipulations hit against cosmic winds, as the flying machines shoots into space.

“Because You are unlimited, neither the

lords of heaven nor even You Yourself can

ever reach the end of Your glories.

The countless universes, each enveloped

in its shell, are compelled by the wheel of

time to wander within You, like particles

of dust blowing about in the sky.”

Bhagavata Purana, Veda Vyasa, 9th / 10th Century CE, 10.87.41

And in many ways, these ideas are summed up in the Bhagvata Purana, one of the oldest, most significant Hindu scripture...

between the comics, myths and pranks, years flew by, and I found salvation... quite frankly in the world of storytelling.

We design for Emerging technologies, Societies in flux, The imminently probable.

.. though design and film. I now run a London and India based design practice called Superflux, we design for the imminently probable. That is to say, we explore the potentials and implications of emerging technologies on society and the environment. Our work takes the form of applications and products, but also stories, films, images and props.

A public engagement project by QIP IRC, DI RCA, EPSRC, NESTA

And it was while doing such work, that we were invited last year to participate in the IMPACT! project orchestrated by EPSRC, NESTA, and RCA - which aimed to bring different kinds of cutting edge scientific research to the public in an exciting and meaningful manner. We were paired up with material scientists and quantum physicists from Oxford and bristol universities who run a research programme called QIPIRC - quantum information processing interdisciplinary research collaboration.

Dr. John Rarity

Meet our scientists Dr. John Rarity from Bristol, whose key interests include quantum key distribution, quantum optics and single photon sources and detectors.

Dr. John Rarity Dr. Andrew Briggs

Prof. Briggs is working on a series of projects looking into electron spin active dimers could be used to realize a two-qubit system for quantum computing,

Dr. John Rarity Dr. Andrew Briggs Dr. Simon Benjamin

And Dr. Simon Benjamin’s interests are theoretical, his work relating to the design, growth and characterization of solid state nanostructures for computation.

Video from Dr. Simon Benjamin, showing animations.

Through their research they are attempting to build a Quantum computer that will harness the power of super position to perform massively parallel processing by computing simultaneously in many worlds.

Data Encryption: Soon? Fast Factorisation: One Day...

This research opened up a whole world of possible applications - ranging from the more plausible data encryption, nano-world simulations and protein folding, to far future dystopian scenarios of an information arms race where governments rush to create code breaking machines that will lay bear the secrets of competing nations. Amazing, scary, confusing, exciting, mindblowing. However, the challenge for us, as designers, was to make sense of this intangible, speculative world in way that would get members of the public excited and enthusiastic about quantum mechanics and computing.

“Will the bizarre quantum world forever exist as the private preserve of mathematicians and experimental physicists, or might ordinary people someday gain access to its fabled realms?”

The question that crossed our minds was nicely put by Nick Herbert the author of Quantum Reality: (read the question) So we put Simon, one of our collaborating scientists in front of their gigantic magnet, pointed a camera at him, and asked him to tell us in a comprehensible manner, their work and the possible theories behind it:

FILM: SIMON ON THE SPOT

Video by Superflux, showing Dr. Simon Benjamin talk about Quantum Computing: http://www.vimeo.com/10219243

Simon Benjamin explains Quantum Computing

The 5th Dimensional PerspectiveInspired by Hugh Everett’s ‘Many World Interpretation’

Simon mentioned the ‘many worlds theory’ by hugh everett which is sometimes referred to as the 5th Dimension, which sounds very very counter intuitive - yet we were fascinated by it. And thats because we were most interested in presenting a hook into the science, as a starting point of interest and debate, and hoping that would lead people to further interest. (At this point, its important to stress that this was only one of the many interpretations of quantum theory.)

“The fact that answers obtained from a quantum computer couldn’t be obtained any other way will make people take seriously that the process that obtained them was objectively real.

And then we spoke to David Deutsch, better know as the father of quantum computer - over skype - and he emphasised on this idea that he has written about in his book ‘Fabric of Reality’ and in this interview in WIRED -

“The fact that answers obtained from a quantum computer couldn’t be obtained any other way will make people take seriously that the process that obtained them was objectively real.

Nothing more than that is needed to lead to the conclusion that there are parallel universes, because that is specifically how quantum computers work.”

David Deutsch, WIRED

as Dr. Deutsch speaks out about this idea of parallel universes,

flashbacks!

I had flashbacks of my childhood!

all those stories I had shown you earlier came alive... whether it was lotus popping universes

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unlistedsightings/

or monkey gods being swept aways by demons from parallel worlds

multidimensional goddesses riding deadly animals

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/proxyindian/

the snake people of the underworlds

or large battles viewed by every possible creature in the whole wide world. ofcourse its all mythology, but these stories are powerful in the way they shape culture and influence our collective memories and thoughts. today exploring the world of quantum physics, we as designers, imagineers, storytellers, put on our public engagement hats and asked...

What if

what if we could see these parallel worlds... what if...

What if we could see the world from a 5th Dimension?

We could see the world from a 5th Dimension? Like how a Quantum computer is meant to access the many worlds of binary information ‘within itself’, could we visualise a machine that could access the many possible worlds that branch from our own timeline?

there we are sketching a device that can see other other dimensions - beyond time -

What might that device be like? We sketched away furiously, possibilities of this fictional contraption were endless -

Camera timer is started

Camera now active in timelines that diverge from activation point

Camera !res across divergent timelines

Images from divergent timelines are consolidated by the camera

Images are printed

Camera fires across divergent timelines

Camera now active in timelines that diverge from activation point

Camera timer is started

Refining the idea further, we were able to create a scehmatic reprsentation of how this photographic device might work: It takes a snapshot of a range possible worlds that branch from the moment the camera timer is started, to the moment the camera fires. Its in effect, a metaphorical representation of a quantum computer. our aspiration for this camera was one of wonder and curiosity - how could one record the ‘unrecordable’ quantum properties that make quantum computation possible and make intangible the tangible?

MAKING OF THE 5TH DIMENSIONAL CAMERA, INDIA 2010

And not long after that...we were off to build the machine in our workshop, back home in India. Ofcourse I’d like to remind the audience that this is a fictional object and it does not really work. It is a speculative design prop... and we believe that it is through such detailed, beautiful objects that such a complex science can be brought to the public, and help people suspend disbelief.

And here it is... the 5th dimensional camera, a fictional device that allows us to think what it would be like to live in a world where some of these possibilities around quantum computing move from the laboratory and start to influence our everyday lives.

The view of the object from back, showing the viewfinder.

The 5th dimensional camera is seen - as both a metaphor for scientific investigation in the field of quantum computation and also an exploration of the impact this field may have on our daily lives.

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THE CONTROL PANEL

The control panel represents the main functions of the 5D camera: A timer: that sets the amount of duration (centuries/ decades/years/months/days/dates/minutes/seconds). A probability amplitude knob which allows the protagonist to select how wide a probability spectrum they want the camera to reach out into.

Benedict, Scientist Molly, Administrator Nolan, Crossword solver

But alongwith the prop, what are the evidences from this fictional world that are essential to help people suspend disbelief, explore the possibilities, and ultimately tie it back to their own experiences and realities? we created stories of three people who might use the camera to photograph their mundane lives. Stories of three people who were given this camera:

Benedict, Scientist Molly, Administrator Nolan, Crossword solver

First up, its Molly, the administrator

Molly works for the Housing Department. Most of her days are spent answering calls from angry citizens, and planning for the weekend. When a colleague tells her about the 5th Dimensional Camera study, she decides to participate "for a laugh". The scientists bring the camera and set the timer for seven thirty the next evening and instruct her to write down the most memorable event of her day on the board provided. She must sit facing the camera when it fires. More out of curiosity than cooperation she follows the strange instructions and waits.

As the camera fires, it brings back images of what Molly might have done in other worlds. Most of them seem equally mundane... except for something like a fire, or someone else in her place, or her not being there at all.

except for something like a fire, or someone else in her place, or her not being there at all...

close up of Ida

a closer look... Each image is time stamped illustrating that they were taken parallel worlds at the same time.

Benedict, Scientist Molly, Administrator Nolan, Retired Civil Servant

then moving on, lets explore the story of Nolan... the retired civil servant

Nolan lives in a small flat by himself in north-west London, spends his time reading and solving crosswords in the evening paper. One evening a small advert catches his attention. A group of scientists were looking for participants to live with a '5th Dimensional Camera' for a few months. He reaches for his phone and soon the camera is standing awkwardly in his living room. 

Nolan starts by taking photographs of the empty corridor outside his flat. And soon his attention turns from reflecting on the world outside his window, to a fascination in the images of the many worlds revealed outside his door. 

close up of Nolan

a closer view starts exposing a probable dark world...

Apart from the IMPACT! exhibition where the work and stories were shown...

A LEVEL STUDENTS WORKSHOP, LONDON 2010

During the exhibition we had a workshop with A level students from York, who came down to visit the exhibition and drew many scenarios of what it might be like to - groups imagined where scenarios where they might use the 5th dimensional camera

including one idea which was to put it way out in space, looking at the earth, to better understand climatic changes, probabilities for flood, asteroids and even formation of new continents.

CHELTENHAM SCIENCE FESTIVAL, CHELTENHAM 2010

Cheltenham was a big hit for us - taking the project out of the ‘art exhibition’ context, into new areas, amazing responses from children.

“I quite like the 5th Dimension camera it is cool”

“I quite like the camera exhibition. It was so interesting I forgot to stay with my group.”

i like the idea of seeing into the future.

SECRET GARDEN PARTY, CAMBRIDGESHIRE 2010

We found ourselves in a unique music festival, in the heart of cambridgeshire, with its own lake, river and landscaped gardens, Amongst the unusually dressed there was an unmatched curiosity and penchant for quantum physics.

LOVEBOX MUSIC FESTIVAL, LONDON 2010

The Lovebox music festival too - much bigger - in London, we were surrounded by visitors less like ourselves.

And finally, the project will be showcased at the Museum of Modern Art, New York alongwith another one of our projects, in its upcomin exhibition ‘Talk to Me’.

Photo Credit: Henry Yuen,http://cipher3d.wordpress.com

“I think the greatest advance that we're going to make is to construct a new way of thinking about how the world operates.”

 Seth Lloyd, MIT

I’ll leave you with this nice quote by Seth Llyod

www.superflux.in | Twitter: @Superflux

Thank You

John Rarity Simon BenjaminAndrew BriggsSabrina ManiscalcoSuzanne McEndoo

Fiona Raby Anthony DunneUjjwal PanchalCharlie TimsIda Karolina SoderK B and Mina JainVijay and Meghal Arya

Jon Ardern

Finally there’s the project’s photographs being exhibited outside, do have a look. Big thanks to Jon Ardern, my partner in crime, the QIPIRC scientists and all those who helped on the project.