A durational sonic installation by ZKM | Hertzlab

The artwork—an installation featuring a self-playing piano that performs a composition by composer Jia Liu twice daily—makes audible the quantum mechanical principle of superposition. In quantum computing, superposition refers to the ability of quantum bits (qubits) to exist in multiple states simultaneously. Unlike classical bits, which always have a value of either 0 or 1, qubits can assume multiple states at once until their value is determined by measurement.

The composition includes variable elements that take on specific values based on certain probabilities. These values are recalculated for each performance using a quantum computer. Each playback thus represents a measurement, fixing the state of the composition. Only through repeated performances does the final composition emerge as a percentage-based probability pattern—this version will have its world premiere at ZKM | Karlsruhe in December 2025.
The composition will be performed twice daily (11 a.m. and 5 p.m.) on the music balcony of ZKM Karlsruhe from April to December 2025. A complementary data visualization will accompany the installation.

Public Measurements: Daily at 11 a.m. & 5 p.m. until December 2025