What if computers could think beyond ones and zeroes? What if reality, at its most fundamental level, was stranger than fiction? These are the big questions at the heart of Quantum Futures, a new exhibition opening Wednesday 14 May 2025 at the National Communication Museum (NCM) in Hawthorn.
Presented in collaboration with EQUS and Q-CTRL, Quantum Futures is the first museum exhibition in Australia dedicated to quantum technologies, offering a timely deep-dive into the strange world of computing and communication at the quantum level — just as 2025 marks the United Nations’ International Year of Quantum.
“We wanted to try and demystify the word ‘quantum’,” said Dr Ben McAllister, quantum physicist and lead content contributor for the show. “It gets thrown around a lot in popular culture, but the basic idea isn’t actually that hard to understand. It’s a word we use to describe the physics of the very small—things that will define our future.”
“This exhibition is the first in Australia to explore the tiny world of quantum, and its massive implications for the ways we communicate, simulate, and encrypt,” said NCM’s Callum Stewart, Producer on Quantum Futures.
Designed with secondary and tertiary students in mind, Quantum Futures offers a rare, hands-on introduction to the science that may shape their future careers. “Quantum Futures is a gateway into the sector,” said Producer Callum Stewart, “showing off the immense investment the Australian government has made and the multitude of career paths available to prospective students.”
Especially well-suited to STEAM-focused school excursions and university groups, the exhibition uses simple language, clear visual design, and an open-ended learning structure to introduce concepts like quantum entanglement, superposition, and qubits—before inviting visitors to explore through interactive displays.
The exhibition features a superconductor chip from a real quantum computer that visitors can inspect, a simulated live feed from Swinburne University of Technology’s dilution refrigerator, and a gamified challenge drawn from Q-CTRL’s quantum training course Black Opal.
The centrepiece is Youturn by artist Natasha Johns-Messenger — a striking installation that brings quantum duality to life, merging science and art. The work won the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) Quantum Art competition in 2023. The exhibition also marks the close of EQUS’s operations in June and is a celebration of their legacy and the growing ecosystem they helped spark.
While student engagement is front and centre, Quantum Futures also invites industry professionals, researchers, and the quantum sector at large to connect with the exhibition — making it a unique space where public learning meets private innovation. It’s expected to draw interest from key partners and researchers across Australia’s quantum landscape.
And for anyone who’s ever felt curious but under-qualified, Quantum Futures offers a judgement-free gateway into this often-misunderstood science. Using an “everything you wanted to know but were too afraid to ask” approach, the exhibition speaks directly to general audiences with clear, approachable storytelling and a sense of play.
The exhibition aligns with this year’s National Science Week theme, Decoding the Universe, and will run for six months with a program of talks, tours and education sessions.
While Quantum Futures marks a major national milestone, it’s also a big moment for NCM — a new player in Melbourne’s cultural and technology landscape.
NCM opened in 2024 in a refurbished 1939 telephone exchange in Hawthorn, on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country. A not-for-profit dedicated to exploring the technologies that connect us — past, present, and future — NCM is quickly gaining a reputation as a must-visitdestination for tech lovers, educators, and the eternally curious. With a strong focus on emerging technologies and a commitment to fostering the next generation of talent — especially from under-represented communities — NCM is working to ensure the future of the tech industry reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.
NCM has already attracted strong praise. ArtsHub called it “Melbourne’s newest cultural landmark” with the potential “to draw crowds to a budding cultural hub” in Hawthorn, referring to the emerging STEAM precinct in the buzzing Melbourne suburb. Meanwhile, The Guardian described NCM as “a very hands-on interactive and immersive journey through the past, present and future technologies that connect us all.”Quantum Futures is set to continue that momentum.
Quantum Futures will be on display at NCM, 375 Burwood Rd, from 14 May to 14 September 2025. Admission is included with museum entry. For more information visitncm.org.au.
Image credit: Beam splitter, 2012. Image provided by EQUS.
