Meet the Studio Introducing Quantum Physics to Video Production “We like to be inspired by things coming from the scientific world and bring those back as artistic reinterpretations into our own work.” – Amar Mulabegovic Prague-based studio Hyperbinary has brought video production to uncharted territory: the field of quantum electrodynamics (QED). Although at first glance quantum physics and video production don’t seem to intersect, Hyperbinary shows off how complicated theory about light and matter can make a stunning, immersive audio-visual experience in their latest project, QED. We sat down to chat with Amar Mulabegovic, cofounder of Hyperbinary, about his work, science, and the intersection between the two. THE PLUS: How did you come up with such brilliant idea making this audio-visual installation? Amar Mulabegovic: Well, to be quite honest this idea has evolved for quite some time now. The first glimpses of it was around three years ago, when we started working with LED lights for the first time. At that time we were a bit tired of projection mapping projects, since we were doing those from early 2008, so we thought it was time for a change. We produced the first piece called Monolith, homage to the quiet and the noise of the city at night, made as a volumetric screen almost five meters tall and two meters deep consisting of 3,328 led addressable Qballs. During that time we came up with the concept called Scalar, loosely inspired by maths and physics’s definition of the word itself which pushed idea of moving light even more into space. It was supposed to act as a space pattern or perception of a volume composed of any number of two-meter posts with RGB modules located on multiple sides of the column itself. Sometime after that, QED installation was born. TP: What fascinates you about QED? AM: Since early beginning of our work we were fascinated with interaction between light and matter. The way matter or space is defined by light and how we perceive the world around us. The first time we came across the definition of quantum electrodynamics, we thought that it would be interesting to try reproducing this phenomena from designer’s point of view and in some way to popularise this theory to a broader public. TP: Do you like science and quantum physics in general? AM: Yes, quite a lot. We like to be inspired by things coming from the scientific world and bring those back as artistic reinterpretations into our own work. TP: Where did you build the installation and how was the process? AM: Installation was built inside an old military complex based at one of Prague’s suburbs during only 25 hours. We had very short time slot for production since the space itself was already going through heavy reconstruction phase. Therefore we needed to install, produce content at site, record and pack everything up in just one day. It was hard to tackle this goal, but we made it at the end. TP: Did you guys also programme the lighting control system? Or it was a collaboration with technologists and choreographers? AM: All process is covered by us. From creative process, design, programming and final execution. Sound was done by very talented Adis Billain Kutkut, which stands behind all our main installations. On the other hand we are very open and eager to collaborate on any part of creative platform and occasionally quite lucky as well to be able to work with some amazing people around globe. TP: Why do you think creating immersive audio-visual experiences is important? AM: People always wanted to be entertained in one way or another and these days with huge information overflow a person can get easily lost. Immersive installations on the contrary have this “personal touch” which lets the viewer stop for a while and be a part of installation itself for a short period of time. In some cases those installations include some interactivity which extends that feeling of immersion even more. TP: Artists on your current playlist? AM: There is nobody particular since we are trying to follow whole art scene. Mainly people working with light, but also trying to find inspiration from other creative fields as well. TP: What can we expect from you in the future? AM: Right now we’re mainly focusing on work with led systems and intelligent lights. Trying to implement those into theatre pieces and combine with dynamic body choreography, but also trying to implement these processes into unusual environments. There is so many options and possibilities we are aware of at this moment and more of them will eventually evolve during the process of exploration. Exciting times in front of us.
