18:00
SOBRE LA INCERTIDUMBRE: UNA MIRADA GRÁFICA A SUS FORMAS
En la física clásica, es posible conocer simultáneamente la posición y la cantidad de movimiento; en el ámbito cuántico, la naturaleza establece un límite. No se trata de una falta de conocimiento, sino de una elección: la precisión en uno implica una pérdida en el otro.
Este es el principio de incertidumbre de Heisenberg: cuanto más precisa sea la posición de una partícula, menos preciso puede ser su momento. Formulado en términos matemáticos abstractos, aunque riguroso, limita el acceso. Partiendo de él, esta investigación propone ecuaciones concretas para abordar este desplazamiento, haciendo que lo abstracto se vuelva concreto y equiparando la incertidumbre en sí misma.
ON UNCERTAINTY: A GRAPHIC VIEW ON ITS FORMS
In classical physics, knowing position and momentum simultaneously is possible; in the quantum realm, nature sets a limit. It is not a failure of knowledge, but a choice: precision in one demands loss in the other. This is Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle: the more precisely a particle’s position is known, the less precisely its momentum can be. Formulated in abstract math, though rigorous, it limits access. Building on it, this research proposes concrete equations to address this displacement, making the abstract concrete and equating uncertainty itself.
SOBRE LAS ECUACIONES CONCRETAS
Un artículo científico y una ecuación. La representación de una verdad que, a su vez, construye otra verdad. Una ecuación que se convierte en imagen, y una imagen que se convierte en libro. Dos superficies, una dentro de la otra, enfrentadas. El papel y su reverso. Por un lado, las palabras ocultan las fórmulas. Por el otro, las fórmulas ocultan las palabras. Ver una es perder la otra.
Las cosas cobran sentido cuando se repiten.
Cada repetición conlleva una sutil variación respecto a la anterior, una diferencia que no pertenece ni a la ecuación ni del todo al observador, sino que surge del encuentro entre ambos. Las ecuaciones concretas no revelan verdades científicas; dan forma a esas verdades, una forma que pide ser vista más que leída, percibida más que calculada.
ON CONCRETE EQUATIONS
A scientific paper and an equation. The representation of a truth that in turn builds another truth. An equation that becomes image, and an image that becomes a book. Two surfaces, one inside the other, confronted. The paper and its reverse. on one side, the words conceal the formulas. On the other, the formulas conceal the words. To see one is to lose the other.
Things make sense when repeated.
Each return carries a subtle variation from the last, a difference that belongs neither to the equation nor entirely to the observer, but emerges in the encounter between the two. Concrete equations do not reveal scientific truths; they give those truths a shape, one that asks to be seen rather than read, perceived rather than operated.
In classical physics, knowing position and momentum simultaneously is possible; in the quantum realm, nature sets a limit. It is not a failure of knowledge, but a choice: precision in one demands loss in the other. This is Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle: the more precisely a particle’s position is known, the less precisely its momentum can be. Formulated in abstract math, though rigorous, it limits access. Building on it, this research proposes concrete equations to address this displacement, making the abstract concrete and equating uncertainty itself.
ON CONCRETE EQUATIONS
A scientific paper and an equation. The representation of a truth that in turn builds another truth. An equation that becomes image, and an image that becomes a book. Two surfaces, one inside the other, confronted. The paper and its reverse. on one side, the words conceal the formulas. On the other, the formulas conceal the words. To see one is to lose the other.
Things make sense when repeated.
Each return carries a subtle variation from the last, a difference that belongs neither to the equation nor entirely to the observer, but emerges in the encounter between the two. Concrete equations do not reveal scientific truths; they give those truths a shape, one that asks to be seen rather than read, perceived rather than operated.
SOBRE LA INCERTIDUMBRE: UNA MIRADA GRÁFICA A SUS FORMAS
«El principio» en español significa «el comienzo». Esta palabra forma parte de la traducción al español del principio de incertidumbre: «El principio de incertidumbre». Fue en marzo de 1927 cuando el físico alemán Werner Heisenberg, de 24 años, se embarcó precisamente en eso: el comienzo de su decisiva contribución a la recién formulada mecánica cuántica. «Über den anschaulichen Inhalt der quantentheoretischen Kinematik und Mechanik» fue el título del artículo que publicó en el volumen 43 de la revista Zeitschrift für Physik. En tan solo 27 páginas, demostró una de las ideas centrales de la teoría cuántica: el principio de incertidumbre.
En inglés, la palabra «principle» pierde, lamentablemente, esta conexión con su origen. Sin embargo, conserva un significado profundo, ya que hace referencia a una verdad fundamental o a una regla que subyace a un sistema de creencias. El aparato matemático en el que se basa el Principio de la Indeterminación, aceptado de forma rigurosa y generalizada, está formulado en un lenguaje abstracto que resulta en gran medida inaccesible para el público en general. El artículo de Heisenberg puede interpretarse como una fórmula, como analogías o incluso como montajes experimentales que demuestran su validez, pero nunca como un gesto que convierta su dimensión abstracta en un objeto de contemplación. En ese sentido, el Principio de Incertidumbre, como fenómeno cuántico, se sitúa en una representación delimitada para la mayoría de los lectores, resultando oscuro. Esto es importante porque el principio desafía nuestra comprensión clásica de la realidad al establecer un límite fundamental del conocimiento en la naturaleza, lo que influye en todas las interpretaciones de nuestra realidad. Es en esta tensión entre «observar» y «comprender» donde se sitúa este proyecto de investigación.
Ofrece un ejercicio de búsqueda del significado del principio de incertidumbre y sugiere que su aparato matemático puede explorarse de manera que dé forma a esa abstracción, para transformar y hacer visible un fenómeno cuántico intangible. Para ello, la investigación propone tratar sus ecuaciones y su esquema matemático como si fueran poesía concreta, permitiendo que sus símbolos y estructuras
ON UNCERTAINTY: A GRAPHIC VIEW ON ITS FORMS
“El principio” in Spanish means “the beginning”. This word is part of the Spanish translation of the Uncertainty Principle, “El principio de incertidumbre”. It was in March of 1927 when the 24-year-old German physicist Werner Heisenberg embarked on exactly that: the beginning of his decisive contribution to the newly formulated quantum mechanics. “Über den anschaulichen Inhalt der quantentheoretischen Kinematik und Mechanik” was the title of the paper he published in volume 43 of Zeitschrift für Physik. In just 27 pages, he demonstrated one of the central ideas in quantum theory: the Uncertainty Principle.
In English, the word principle unfortunately loses this connection to origin. Yet it retains a deep meaning, referring to a fundamental truth or a rule that underlies a system of beliefs. The mathematical apparatus that grounds the Uncertainty Principle, rigorously and widely accepted, is formulated in an abstract language that is mostly inaccessible to the general public. Heisenberg’s paper can be seen as a formula, as analogies, or even experimental setups that prove its validity, but never as a gesture that renders its abstract dimension as an object to be contemplated. In that sense, the Uncertainty Principle, as a quantum phenomenon, sits in a delimited representation for most readers, obscure. This matters because the principle challenges our classical understanding of reality by setting a fundamental limit of knowledge in nature, influencing all interpretations of our reality. It is in this tension between “observing” and “understanding” that this research project is situated.
It offers an exercise in the pursuit of the meaning of the Uncertainty Principle and suggests that its mathematical apparatus can be explored in ways to give form to that abstraction, to transform and make visible an intangible quantum phenomenon. To do this, the research proposes to treat its equations and mathematical scheme as if they were concrete poetry, allowing their symbols, structures
EL DIARIO DE LA INCERTIDUMBRE
Supongo que, como la mayoría de la gente, me atrae la idea de encontrar una forma de dejar huella, algo que plasme el proceso. El diario comenzó sin grandes pretensiones; existía sin un destino claro, sumido en su propia incertidumbre. Era un diario en el que convergían pensamientos, estados emocionales y situaciones paralelas; era la vida de la tesis. Durante 223 días, llevé un registro de todo lo que sucedió a lo largo de la elaboración de esta tesis. El primer momento del día: abrir el MacBook, anotar la hora y el primer pensamiento que me venía a la mente. Fue un ejercicio autoetnográfico que dio testimonio del proceso emocional y práctico.
THE UNCERTAINTY JOURNAL
I suppose that, like most people, I’m drawn to finding a way to leave a trace, something that captures the process. The journal began without any grand pretensions; it existed without a clear destination, existing in its own uncertainty. It was a journal where thoughts, emotional states, and parallel situations converged; it was the life of the thesis. For 223 days, I kept a record of everything that happened during the progress of this thesis. The first moment of the day: opening the MacBook, writing down the time, and the first thought that crossed my mind. It was an auto ethnographic exercise that bore witness to the emotional and practical process.
CONTAR LA INCERTIDUMBRE
Como segundo ejercicio de registro paralelo, desarrollé el «recuento inverso de la incertidumbre». Este seguía la evolución de la tesis escrita en términos cuantitativos. Cada día de redacción se registraba el recuento acumulado de caracteres; a continuación, el recuento inverso representaba este progreso a la inversa, como una resta respecto a un objetivo de 100 000 caracteres. Escribir sobre la incertidumbre en una tesis no consiste en acumular texto, sino más bien en una reducción constante de lo desconocido. Este proceso, expresado numéricamente mediante una operación aritmética, revela cuantitativamente las condiciones de la incertidumbre. Ambos ejercicios constituían un diálogo constante entre el no saber y el no decidir.
THE UNCERTAINTY COUNTDOWN
As a second and parallel record exercise, I developed the uncertainty countdown character. It traced the development of the written thesis in quantitative terms. Each writing day, the cumulative character count is recorded; the countdown then represents this progress in reverse, as a subtraction from a target of 100,000 characters. Writing about uncertainty in a thesis does not involve accumulating text, but rather a constant reduction of the unknown. This process, expressed numerically through arithmetic operation, quantitatively reveals the conditions of uncertainty. Both exercises were a constant dialogue between not knowing and not deciding.
① MASTER’S THESIS
MA VISUAL COMMUNICATION 2026
ZURICH UNIVERSITY OF ARTS
ON CONCRETE EQUATIONS
EXHIBITION
237 A5 PAGES
470 A5 PAGES
739 A3 PAGES
TYPEFACE UNIVERS
+ EDITORIAL DESIGN
+ RESEARCH
+ PHOTOS
+ MENTOR(S)
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND.
SILVANA APONTE
CHANGQIAO WANG DR. PHIL. BJÖRN FRANKE
PROF. DR. SARAH OWENS
“The knowledge of what we don’t know seems to expand faster than our catalog of breakthroughs. The known unknowns outstrip the known knowns. And it is those unknowns that drive science. Science is a living, breathing subject because of all those questions we can’t answer.”
—Marcus Du Sautoy, The great unknown.
ON UNCERTAINTY: A GRAPHIC VIEW ON ITS FORMS
“El principio” in Spanish means “the beginning”. This word is part of the Spanish translation of the Uncertainty Principle, “El principio de incertidumbre”. It was in March of 1927 when the 24-year-old German physicist Werner Heisenberg embarked on exactly that: the beginning of his decisive contribution to the newly formulated quantum mechanics. “Über den anschaulichen Inhalt der quantentheoretischen Kinematik und Mechanik” was the title of the paper he published in volume 43 of Zeitschrift für Physik. In just 27 pages, he demonstrated one of the central ideas in quantum theory: the Uncertainty Principle.
In English, the word principle unfortunately loses this connection to origin. Yet it retains a deep meaning, referring to a fundamental truth or a rule that underlies a system of beliefs. The mathematical apparatus that grounds the Uncertainty Principle, rigorously and widely accepted, is formulated in an abstract language that is mostly inaccessible to the general public. Heisenberg’s paper can be seen as a formula, as analogies, or even experimental setups that prove its validity, but never as a gesture that renders its abstract dimension as an object to be contemplated. In that sense, the Uncertainty Principle, as a quantum phenomenon, sits in a delimited representation for most readers, obscure. This matters because the principle challenges our classical understanding of reality by setting a fundamental limit of knowledge in nature, influencing all interpretations of our reality. It is in this tension between “observing” and “understanding” that this research project is situated.
It offers an exercise in the pursuit of the meaning of the Uncertainty Principle and suggests that its mathematical apparatus can be explored in ways to give form to that abstraction, to transform and make visible an intangible quantum phenomenon. To do this, the research proposes to treat its equations and mathematical scheme as if they were concrete poetry, allowing their symbols, structures
THE UNCERTAINTY JOURNAL
I suppose that, like most people, I’m drawn to finding a way to leave a trace, something that captures the process. The journal began without any grand pretensions; it existed without a clear destination, existing in its own uncertainty. It was a journal where thoughts, emotional states, and parallel situations converged; it was the life of the thesis. For 223 days, I kept a record of everything that happened during the progress of this thesis. The first moment of the day: opening the MacBook, writing down the time, and the first thought that crossed my mind. It was an auto ethnographic exercise that bore witness to the emotional and practical process.
As a second and parallel record exercise, I developed the uncertainty countdown character. It traced the development of the written thesis in quantitative terms. Each writing day, the cumulative character count is recorded; the countdown then represents this progress in reverse, as a subtraction from a target of 100,000 characters. Writing about uncertainty in a thesis does not involve accumulating text, but rather a constant reduction of the unknown. This process, expressed numerically through arithmetic operation, quantitatively reveals the conditions of uncertainty. Both exercises were a constant dialogue between not knowing and not deciding.
① MASTER’S THESIS
MA VISUAL COMMUNICATION 2026
ZURICH UNIVERSITY OF ARTS
ON CONCRETE EQUATIONS
EXHIBITION
237 A5 PAGES
+
470 A5 PAGES
+
739 A3 PAGES
TYPEFACE UNIVERS
+ EDITORIAL DESIGN
+ RESEARCH
+ PHOTOS
+ MENTOR(S)
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND.
SILVANA APONTE
CHANGQIAO WANG DR. PHIL. BJÖRN FRANKE
PROF. DR. SARAH OWENS
“The knowledge of what we don’t know seems to expand faster than our catalog of breakthroughs. The known unknowns outstrip the known knowns. And it is those unknowns that drive science. Science is a living, breathing subject because of all those questions we can’t answer.”
—Marcus Du Sautoy, The great unknown.