What is Chic Physics?
Chic Physics is a project that aims to make physics more comprehensible with the use of chic 3D graphics and animations. Yuko is passionate about making more 3D materials available to help people catch up with the accelerated development of science and technology and also the societal changes that comes with it.
Looking for Partners
Yuko is looking for partners from media, education and science organisations. If you are interested in working with her, please get in touch! She is also more than happy to help you make your cutting edge science knowledge comprehensible with her creative sense of humour!
Background
STEM for girls?
Growing up in 90’s Japan, STEM subject is not something that you pursue as a girl unless you are super determined or confident in every way, especially when aiming to get an admission at Kyoto University. I was pretty good at math and once I came 3rd in Japan. But having a failed physicist now classics professor as my father, I never even had the opportunity to explore the science career in my adolescence.
Philosophy and History of Physics
However, even after I became a university student, I was drawn to physics. Kyoto University runs a general education programme before students enter the specialised education programme. I took physics and math with enthusiasm and when it comes to choosing a major, without hesitation, I jumped onto philosophy and history of science as my subject. I was fascinated by the philosophy of quantum mechanics. I read the original correspondence between Einstein and Bohr and got completely hooked by the world of quanta. And it led me to the UK. I pursued further study at Imperial College London.
Human life and science
However, since I started working in media, I only occasionally used my knowledge of philosophy or history of science, which I should still appreciate as this kind of knowledge is no use for most of professions out there!
I don’t deny I had some regrettable moments about the fact that I didn’t study physics. Because my good friend suggested that I should study it in the states instead of going to Imperial. But after all, it is how humans interact with this physical world that I am interested in rather than numerical operations. So my choice of philosophy and history of science was right.
Visualisation and comprehensibility
Now as a TV professional, I often think how we could make things look more comprehensible. And one of the projects I worked, the TV show titled ‘the Quantum World’ made me realised how pen and paper are useless when I tried to explain quantum entanglement. We are trying to depict the world with the coordinates of not only x, y, and z but also t!
During Covid-19 lockdown, I was watching way too many property shows. Each show had different ways of visualising potential renovation of clients’ houses. Some are illustrations on the live action picture, some are life-size projection mapping, others are 3D modelling. I was intrigued by the potential of these visualisation that stimulate our imagination for a changes.
Efficiency is calling in the accelerated society
And I thought of one another thing. We are in 2020, it’s time to produce the science content that is absolutely comprehensible, the visuals that help people understand complex subject with the minimum effort in shortest possible time.
On top of that, looking through many instagram account, I also thought it is time to glamorise physics. There are things like food porn and property porn, but why not physics porn? Blender, a free application, gave me freedom to express myself. I am a minimalist so I am usually reluctant to purchase any equipment when I start my new hobby. But blender allows me to create anything in the virtual world, and it includes the complex and abstract concept such as particle wave duality just like you saw in above images.
Art and science
It’s a bit like art but my ultimate purpose is supposed to serve to make physics more comprehensible. I just want to do it in a fun way. I also want to help people who does serious work in science to communicate better. Isn’t it better if we, lay people, could understand the cutting edge science papers in 10 minutes just watching a 3D video?
That is the world I am imagining as the future. Please join me if you believe in the potential of chic virtual representations of scientific concept!
