No Book Book Club #4
HANDSTANDS in UNCERTAINTY
acrobatics meets the quantum world
with
Natalie Reckert
handbalancer
Anne Weber
quantum physicist
Mark Morreau
digital artist
21 May 2024
An artist, an acrobat and a physicist
walked into a bar...
...and that's not a joke.
On May 21st we brought you a unique performance and discussion at the Devereux Pub in London that showcased the current collaboration between artist Mark Morreau, acrobat Natalie Reckert and physicist Anne Weber.
Fun, thought-provoking and informative, this presentation combined live acrobatics with interactive videography and then played with key concepts of the light-matter interaction, showing quantum physics as something you can see, touch and experience.
Anne's research explores unresolved questions at the intersection of quantum mechanics, classical trajectory methods and catastrophe theory while Natalie and Mark‘s work is all about the undefinable nature of what is observable and how it's represented in the moment of performance.
Together in collaboration the three created a lively environment where these two worlds meet, bringing the theory to life. Following the presentation we had a wide ranging discussion that raised interesting questions about catastrophe theory, quantum physics and the connection between movement in real space and 'unreal' space and the different ways these concepts can be communicated to a wider audience.
Natalie Reckert is a circus maker integrating robotic movement, spoken word and handbalancing to create full length shows since 2007. She studied at the National Centre for Circus Arts in London, Visions in Motion Dance school in Germany and holds a BA in social sciences from Humboldt University Berlin.
www.nataliereckert.com
Anne Weber completed an undergraduate degree in BA Psychology before turning to physics and graduating with a master‘s degree from the University of Jena, Germany. Anne is currently a PhD candidate at King's College London where she explores the applicability of the quantum orbit approach near the high-harmonic cutoff. Her thesis topic is: Caustics and catastrophes in strong-field and attosecond processes.
www.kcl.ac.uk/people/anne-weber
Digital Artist Mark Morreau's circus career spanned three decades and now informs his current work. While collaborating closely with Natalie, he was also recently associate Video Designer for Complicité’s “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead”. Mark holds an MA in Digital Theatre from the University of the Arts London.
www.morreaux.co.uk