Sensing Quantum - The transformative potential of quantum science in shaping a more inclusive and connected world

Quantum TechnologiesS+T+ARTS Prize 2025Innovative CollaborationArt and ScienceEuropean Commission

3 Jul

S+T+ARTS Prize 2025 awarded The Grand Prize – Innovative Collaboration was awarded to Sensing Quantum, 2025, by Light Art Space Art Foundation (DE), a collective based in Berlin. Sensing Quantum’ is a programme that explores the implications and possibilities of quantum technologies through new commissions with artists and musicians, a symposium, a publication and an ongoing learning programme. Together, these efforts bring together artists, scientists, thinkers and the public to engage with this evolving field.

The Prize competition celebrates projects at the intersection of science, technology and the arts. S+T+ARTS is an initiative funded by the European Commission that since 2016 focuses on projects that strive to master the social, ecological and economic challenges that Europe is facing or will be facing in the near future.

Laure Prouvost, WE FELT A STAR DYING 2025. Installation view at Kraftwerk Berlin. Commissioned by LAS Art Foundation and co-commissioned by OGR Torino. © 2025 Laure Prouvost. Photo: Andrea Rossetti © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025

Light Art Space Art Foundationʼs ‘Sensing Quantum’ programme explores the implications and possibilities of quantum technologies through new commissions with artists and musicians, a symposium, a publication and an ongoing learning programme. Together, these efforts bring together artists, scientists, thinkers and the public to engage with this evolving field.

Quote from the Jury Statement

In a time of mega-infrastructures—from data centres to quantum sensing networks—Europe must ensure that these systems serve the public good, are ethically grounded, and open to democratic participation. ‘Sensing Quantum’ makes this vision tangible. It invites artists, scientists, and citizens to explore new ways of thinking about our technological future, not as passive users, but as active co-creators. The jury celebrates ‘Sensing Quantum’ as a bold model of cultural-scientific collaboration. It reflects a Europe that leads in innovation, while staying rooted in democratic values and planetary care. This programme ensures that public understanding and aesthetic experimentation evolve in tandem. It is not enough to sense the quantum, we must also sense the political, emotional, and planetary implications of what we are building. This work allows us to do both.

Excerpt from the Jury Statements available in full on the STARTS website.

2025 is named the International Year of Quantum, marking the growing impact of quantum technologies on society. It highlights the transformative potential of quantum science and its role in shaping a more inclusive and connected world. These systems are beginning to radically transform computing, communication, and our very understanding of reality, yet for most people, they remain difficult to grasp. Without better education, public discussion, and cultural interpretation, this knowledge will stay in the hands of a few experts. This risks creating even bigger gaps in who understands and benefits from these powerful tools.

To bridge the gaps between the invisible, the speculative, and the evolving role of quantum technologies in our lives, ‘Sensing Quantum’, a long-term artistic research initiative by LAS Art Foundation, brings together artists, scientists, and thinkers to create critical and artistic languages around these emerging technologies. The initiative includes new commissions, a symposium, a publication, and an ongoing educational program. One example is Laure Prouvost’s multi-sensory installation ‘WE FELT A STAR DYING’. It weaves direct experimentation with a quantum computer into a wider reflection on what it means to open oneself to the quantum realm. The artist asks: “What might it feel like to sense reality from a quantum perspective?”

As quantum technologies become part of everyday life, it is important that more people, not just scientists, can understand and shape how they are used. LAS Art Foundation shows how early engagement through art and culture can make these complex topics more relatable, while also helping society think about their ethical and social impact

About Light Art Space Art Foundation.

LAS Art Foundationʼs ‘Sensing Quantum’ is a long-term artistic research initiative that explores the intersections of quantum science, technology, philosophy and contemporary art. The programme fosters interdisciplinary collaborations between artists and scientists, aiming to translate complex quantum principles into immersive and thought-provoking experiences. Through new commissions with artists and musicians, a symposium, a publication and an ongoing learning programme, ‘Sensing Quantum’ examines how art can bridge the gaps between the invisible, the speculative, and the evolving role of quantum technologies in our world.

Light Art Space Art Foundation is a new type of arts organisation — one that interrogates our present and gives form to future imaginaries. The foundation works with visionary artists, thinkers and institutions around the globe to develop innovative, interdisciplinary projects and experiences. LAS Art Foundation explores topics ranging from artificial intelligence, quantum computing and gaming to ecology and biotechnology — illuminating the intersections between art, science and the latest technologies.

LAS Art Foundation’s programme comprises installations and performances, as well as educational programming, publications and research projects. Curiosity drives the foundation to continually reimagine the role of an arts institution as one that shapes and evolves with our collective futures.