Hosted by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Internationalisation, Professor Azwinndini Muronga, in collaboration with the Faculties of Science and Humanities, Quantum Technology and Experimental Music explored how scientific discovery and artistic expression intersect through shared themes of uncertainty, complexity, creativity and innovation.
Opening the event, programme director Lubabalo Saba framed the seminar as an opportunity to explore the connections between disciplines that are often perceived as unrelated.
“This evening invites us to reflect on how disciplines can work together not only to expand knowledge, but to deepen the human experience, ensuring that as science evolves, it continues to carry with it meaning, creativity and a distinctive human touch,” he said.
Keynote speaker Professor Thomas Konrad, Director of the Centre for Quantum Computing and Technology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal explored the promise and complexity of quantum technologies, particularly in the context of South Africa and the African context.
Referencing the United Nations International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, he examined the opportunities presented by quantum computing, communication and sensing, while also acknowledging concerns about a growing “quantum divide” between developed and developing nations.
He argued that emerging quantum technologies offer Africa an opportunity to participate in the shaping of new industries and knowledge economies, rather than remaining solely consumers of technological innovation.
“There is a cultural context to all technologies and there is a necessary dialogue between the different faculties, it is not only about what we know, but also what we should do and hope for.”
Prof Konrad drew unconventional parallels between scientific discovery and artistic movements, illustrating how abstraction, creativity and experimentation have shaped both modern physics and modern arts.
The sound of a saxophone and piano drifted into the South Campus auditorium as acclaimed Chicago-based jazz saxophist Ernest Dawkins and Mandela University final year Bachelor of Music pianist, Luxolo Ntamo from the Department of Music and Performing Arts delivered a captivating performance.
Their performance offered a creative interpretation of the evening’s themes. Dawkins also made use of electronics to loop and manipulate sounds in real time, which added another fascinating dimension to the performance and was something unique for the audience.
What brought the house down was their performance of Mannenberg (by South African jazz pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim), which had the audience cheering on.
Humanities
Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Professor Pamela Maseko, highlighted the importance of transdisciplinary engagement in higher education and society. “Many of the questions shaping our present do not sit within disciplinary confines but increasingly require us to think across boundaries.”
Drawing connections between science, music and the arts, Prof Maseko noted that musical forms rely on mathematical relationships of rhythm, interval and proportion, while scientific enquiry often depends on imagination and conceptual insight.
“Together they remind us that knowledge is not singular in form or method, and what we call the humanities and science are internally entangled through shared logics of pattern, structure and abstraction.”
Science
Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Christina Grobler echoed similar sentiments by reflecting on the common ground shared by the two disciplines. “At its core, both domains are concerned with transmission and transformation of information. Music through sound, rhythm and emotion. Quantum science through particles, states and probabilities”.
She emphasised that technological advancement must remain connected to the human experience and argued that the future should not be understood as a choice between scientific progress and human values.
“The most meaningful path forward is co-evolution, science expanding the range of possibility and the humanities ensuring those possibilities remain meaningful, ethical and connected,” said Prof Grobler.
By placing quantum technology alongside experimental music, the seminar created a space where scientific enquiry, artistic expression and critical reflection could intersect, reminding the audience that innovation is at its strongest when it is connected to the human experience.
Ernest Dawkin and music student, Luxolo Ntamo
Prof Thomas Konrad and saxophonist Ernest Dawkin