The Family Crawlers series of watercolour drawing/paintings deal with quantum physics, family relations and emotions in relation to the sudden loss of Heaney’s sister in 2019.

They were made in parallel to Heaney’s virtual reality artwork Heartbreak and Magic, across 2023 and early 2024.

Fine details, undulating lines, text, arrows, and sheer scale draw the viewer into this exploded microcosm of quantum perception and interior life. 

Following a process of journaling about love, grief, and quantum physics, Heaney draws freely and spontaneously building up to the final work. 

Each of the four resulting drawing/paintings acts as a testament to the process of making the VR work Heartbreak and Magic, while also existing as a stand alone works.

Elements from the VR find their way into the paintings, and conversely. 

The text and iconography merge the haphazard forms from diluted watercolour with the world building language from games engines and mathematical equations from quantum computing. 

Seen as a whole, the works create a fully immersive environment that transgresses the imagined boundaries of physical and virtual to convey the multiplicity of quantum reality, where Heaney imagines her sister to still exist.