Quantum Crossroads

Quantum science is transforming computing, communication, and our understanding of matter itself. But what role can artists, curators, and cultural institutions play in this moment? Quantum Crossroads was convened to answer exactly that question. A global gathering sponsored by UNESCO's International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025, it brought together 23 contributors from 12 countries — scientists, artists, engineers, educators, policy makers, and Indigenous knowledge holders — to develop a shared vision for the relationship between quantum science and cultural practice.

The event took place in New Zealand as a hybrid gathering, hosted by Te Whai Ao, the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, with a subsequent convening in Brazil and extended international consultation. Participants worked across the boundaries that usually separate scientific and artistic communities, asking how cultural institutions might interpret and communicate the ideas of quantum science, and how artistic practice might contribute something distinctive to the field — not illustration or metaphor, but genuine intellectual partnership.

The resulting vision document was submitted to UNESCO at the close of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, representing the collective voice of its contributors from across the globe. It was led by Joachim Brand of Te Whai Ao and Jessica Barder of Tūhura Otago Museum, and published under open access in February 2026.