Quantum Crossroads

Professor Joachim Brand and Deputy Director Engagement, Jessa Barder organised a Quantum Crossroads event in Dunedin to mark the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). It was sponsored by the IYQ international steering committee.

The pair invited artists, researchers and curators from around the world to consider how they could inform a culturally grounded, globally interconnected future for quantum science and technology. The three-day programme in July 2025 was open for participation either in person, or online. The event attracted artists from Brazil, Nigeria and Spain and researchers from South Korea and Japan. People from Australia, the United States, Portugal and Singapore took part in person.

The group began its discussions at Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki Marae in Karitane and drew upon an as yet unpublished thesis by Justin Hanning (Kāi Tahu) aligning research efforts with Māori  cosmological principles — Te Kore, Te Pō, and Te Ao Mārama — to reimagine quantum research as a relational and ethical practice.

Together the participants developed a ten-year vision to ensure that quantum advances are inclusive, responsible and meaningful. The document proposes using art, culture and indigenous knowledge as concurrent channels for understanding the science and engaging with the technology, providing alternative ways to comprehend its complexity and its impact.

Their vision document has now been shared with UNESCO, as requested by the IYQ international steering committee. It’s hoped that it will influence policymakers and that further initiatives will arise from it.