Quantum Est in Libris

Quantum est in libris explores the intersection of the archaic and the modern. On one side, there are manuscript materials from the Estonian National Museum’s more than century-old archive, describing the life experiences of Estonian people; on the other side is technology that transforms these materials into a dynamic and interactive experience. Connecting technology and cultural heritage is the visitor, who turns texts into inputs for a screen sculpture.

This interactive artwork invites participants to explore a curated selection of 84 historical handwritten pages from ethnographical diaries. At the heart of the installation is a sculpture consisting of a totem of six screens along with an interactive station. Visitors read aloud randomly selected excerpts from historical texts, which the installation records and transforms into visual imagery traveling across the screen sculpture. The images displayed on the screens are generated based on interactions with the five most recent visitors, bridging past and present, transforming centuries-old descriptions of daily life into digital art through visitor engagement.

In a world where data is fluid and interpretations unstable, heritage status becomes fragile. Issues related to heritage are no longer just about preservation and transmission, but also about media representation, machine creativity, and interpretive error. Who or what shapes memory processes and memory spaces — and how?