PST ART: Black Quantum Futurism and Nicole Mitchell

Join PST ART: Art & Science Collide at the Audubon Center in Debs Park for a kick-off performance and a celebration of the Northeast LA & Pasadena PST ART Weekend. Including food and beverage vendors such as El Ruso, the PST ART photo booth, DJs selected by NTS Radio, and outdoor activities led by USAL Project, this event will culminate in a musical performance by Black Quantum Futurism – a multidisciplinary collaboration between Camae Ayewa and Rasheedah Phillips that weaves quantum physics, Black temporalities, ritual, text, and sound to create counter histories and Black quantum futures that challenge exclusionary, mainstream versions of history and the future. They will be joined by celebrated flautist, composer, and conceptualist Nicole Mitchell. The performance begins at 8:00PM.

The Black Quantum Futurism event is the first in Quantum Vibrations(opens in a new tab), a free, four-part music series that will explore the intersections of art and science through music and sound. Curated by USC Professor and Chair in Cross-Cultural Communication, Vice Provost for the Arts, and 2016 MacArthur Fellow Josh Kun, Quantum Vibrations borrows its title from legendary composer and music theorist Pauline Oliveros’ idea of “quantum listening,” or “listening in order to attune to our bodies, the earth and one another in an increasingly loud and noisy world.” The series engages with world renowned artists who consider music in scientific contexts and use music to explore scientific questions and will include musical meditations on nuclear research, desert biomes, speculative world making, and non-human music makers.

PST ART is presented by Getty. The lead sponsors supporting PST ART are Bank of America, Alicia Miñana & Rob Lovelace, and the Getty Patron Program. Additional support is provided by the Simons Foundation; Eva & Ming Hsieh, Co-Founders of Fulgent Genetics; and Peggy & Andrew Cherng, Co-Chairs and Co-CEOs of Panda Express.

(opens in a new tab)Southern California’s landmark arts event, PST ART, returns in September 2024 with more than 70 exhibitions from museums and other institutions across the region, all exploring the intersections of art and science, both past and present. Dozens of cultural, scientific, and community organizations will join the latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, with exhibitions on subjects ranging from ancient cosmologies to Indigenous sci-fi, and from environmental justice to artificial intelligence. Art & Science Collide will share groundbreaking research, create indelible experiences for the public, and generate new ways of understanding our complex world. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit pst.art(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab)

IMAGE ABOVE: Black Quantum Futurism: MirrorTimeMirror, Luise Flügge for Brueckenmusik (2023)