Quantum computer use cases: No. 34 – Chandelier

Everybody should have a statement piece of lighting in their home, and mathematician and broadcaster (and self-styled ‘all round badass’), Professor Hannah Fry, has gone the full nine qubits with hers.

I was watching the final episode of the excellent Sky Arts programme, Portrait Artist of the Year 2025, in which the series winner, Peckham-based artist Chloe Barnes, unveiled her portrait of Hannah Fry at the Royal Society in London, where Prof. Fry is a Fellow (so to speak).

The portrait was commissioned by the Royal Society as part of a year-long celebration of the 80th anniversary of the first women elected to its Fellowship, Kathleen Lonsdale FRS and Marjory Stephenson FRS.

The episode showed Chloe Barnes arriving at Prof. Fry’s home in South London for a sitting.

And there it was in all its glory.

A 3.3m high, 1.5m wide, 410kg replica quantum computer chandelier hanging from the ceiling (see pic).

The ‘computer’ was originally made as a prop for the BBC TV science fiction series, Devs, and was reengineered into a working chandelier for Prof. Fry by Chelmsford-based bespoke lighting design house, Eulum Design.

The chandelier includes 30 LED tunable white panels and 28 LED narrow beam spotlights, all controlled by Eulum Design’s proprietary Bluetooth control system.

Enough to brighten any hallway I would say, but unlikely to crack a cipher.

Chloe Barnes’ amazing portrait (a monochrome print) of Prof. Fry will be on public display at the Royal Society later this month. You can also see it on the artist’s website https://www.chloebarnesartist.com/