Understanding the first part of my artwork requires a basic understanding of the double slit experiment that is part of Quantum Mechanics, the theory that explains the behaviour of matter at an atomic scale. When physicists shot electrons at a plate with one slit, those little pieces of matter behaved as particles and produced a single band. However, when photons were shot at a double slit plate, they behaved as a wave and produced an interference pattern. These results changed the whole way scientists viewed subatomic particles. Are those little pieces of matter, waves or particles? The answer is the following: subatomic particles behave as both particles and waves. When physicists tried to determine through which slit the photons were passing by installing a measuring device, those tiny marble-looking pieces of matter, behaved as particles and produced two straight bands as if they were actual marbles passing through the double slit plate. What is the actual role played by the measuring device, otherwise known as the observer? By trying to determine how the interference pattern is produced, physicists actually changed the outcome of the whole experiment. However, because an observer can change the outcome of an experiment, we might ask ourselves what is true and what is not. This depends on our perception. For example, scientists throughout history have tried to associate a model to the atom, but then the discovery of different properties imposed major changes on the atomic model.
In my artwork, I chose 3 different ways to represent an electron: A yellow sphere that looks like an actual being with hands, legs and eyes; the e- (1960-2011) on the perpendicular wall; and the yellow waves ( located on the mirror and on the left hand drawer). Some people might think that it would be wrong to choose these ways to represent a subatomic particle. However, it's not wrong because that's my perception of what an electron looks like. My entire artwork doesn't present what an actual electron looks like in real life and I clearly state that with the disclaimer on the top left hand corner: "This not a particle nor a wave". At this point, we might ask ourselves why there is a representation of a wave facing the standing human-like yellow representation of an electron. Common sense dictates that a mirror is supposed to project an image of what is in front of it. However, in my artwork, the reflection of the yellow Sphere is a yellow wave, to represent the particle-wave duality of matter. This is mainly caused by the observer (represented by the eyeball on the top right corner) that changes the outcome of the mirror's reflection. Briefly, my artwork is a mere representation of the particle-wave duality of matter and the fact that an observer can change the outcome of an experiment. Even though my artwork doesn't represent scientific properties of subatomic particles, I think it would help people understand the weird world of Quantum.



