CROSSING THE RIVER BY SKIPPING THE STONES

Crossing the River by Skipping the Stones is an interactive video work that draws from quantum theory, Zen philosophy, and the poetic potential of play. At its surface, the game simulates the familiar act of skipping a stone across water—but beneath that gesture lies a layered meditation on uncertainty, memory, and recursive interaction. Each stone not only carves its path forward but also creates waves—subtle ripples that linger in the environment and loop back to shape its future motion. This self-affecting dynamic takes inspiration from pilot wave theory, a lesser-known interpretation of quantum mechanics in which particles are guided by the waves they themselves generate. In Crossing the River by Skipping the Stones, this manifests as a choreography of feedback: the trajectory of each skip is delicately altered by the residue of previous movement.

Floating atoms and drifting molecules populate the water’s surface, creating a field of unpredictable resistance. As the player engages, the game shifts from simulation to metaphor—a dance of cause and consequence, observation and entanglement. The water becomes not only medium but mirror: reflecting the gestures enacted upon it. Collaboration with scientist Matthieu Deblock on quantum computing and string theory—the game offers an interpretation of a central teaching from the Diamond Sutra: “All conditioned phenomenaAre like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, Like dew or lightning—Thus should they be contemplated.”