MA Art and Science graduates are presented their work through both virtual and physical exhibitions and hosting a public online symposium.
‘VIRTUAL GROUND’ PHYSICAL EXHIBITION
The ‘Virtual Ground‘ physical exhibition was at Asylum Chapel; a stunning grade two listed building and Safehouse 1 and 2; two charming abandoned Victorian houses in Peckham London, currently a hub for contemporary art. This new show brought together works of 20 interdisciplinary artists, who work and experiment at the intersection of art and science, researching a broad range of subjects from ecology to philosophy, neuroscience to spirituality, light to perception, biotechnology to feminism… and more. Scientific theories and perspectives relevant to our times are critiqued through a diverse range of media including painting, performance, video, print, new media, sound, montage, sculpture, installation and virtual reality.
‘Virtual Ground‘ grew from a need for a paradigm shift; to blossom new ideas and ways of thinking beyond the binary, beyond the institution, beyond our inherited reality and into new worlds.
‘VIRTUAL GROUND’ PHYSICAL EXHIBITION (following Covid19 social distancing regulations).
EXHIBITING SCIARTISTS: Audrey Rangel Aguirre | Ray Bass | Yan Cheng | Bridget Swann | Georgina Clift | Martha Gray | Kaini Zhang | Haoran Ye | Peng Wu | Anna Strøe | Steffi Callaghan | Ziqin Yan | Nil Yang | Holly Hewitt | Yichen Qian | Molly Macleod | Hermine De Clauzade De Mazieux | Noa Rodríguez Méndez | Julia Ovenden
‘VIRTUAL GROUND’ SYMPOSIUM
Virtual Ground Symposium: MA Art and Science
Thursday 1 July 2021
14.00 – 15.30 BST
Online via Zoom
MA Art and Science graduates hosted an interactive guided tour. The students took guests on an embodied experience navigating you through their virtual exhibition. This diverse group of transdisciplinary artists explore themes of Art, Science, Ecology, Biotechnology, Cybernetics, Virtual Reality, Consciousness, Perception, Philosophy, Spirituality and more. This was an opportunity to hear from the students about their emerging practice and research, and actively participate in a Q & A discussion. Some works presented focus on ecocentric perspectives, rethinking the dichotomy between human vs nature. They explore unmapped environments, such as wastelands, deep oceans, moonscapes and mountain tops. Drawing inspiration from mycelium networks that are mirrored in computing networks and cybernetic systems. They reflected on the role of technology in the age of the Anthropocene.
Can digital intelligence aid us in reaching altered states of consciousness?
Can virtual space also reside the animistic and ritualistic?
Other works explored non-human systems through biotechnology; merging art, science and spirituality. Furthermore, the works presented investigated the dualities of light and dark, conscious and unconscious, and subjective and objective. By approaching artworks as vessels of communication, they open up philosophical questions regarding the nature of reality and perception. They interrogate relationships between art, metaphysics, life and the psychology of self.
How can the subjective nature of art and the objective nature of science be unified?
Moderated by: Nathan Cohen | Heather Barnett | Sabrina Hasan | Adrian Holme
GRADUATE SHOWCASE
Our graduating students have had to work within the challenges of the pandemic. From across the globe, they have responded to the current conditions with agility and determination. Setting up studios within the confines of their homes and with limited access to university facilities. These tensions between the digital and physical domains have birthed new possibilities in building communities and the potential for immersive environments which imagine speculative futures.
Poster Typeface created using Hypha Hypha web tool Design and concept – PentagramWeb tool development – Counterpoint and Rosie Bird
Attraction Repulsion 1Future Fossil 8cyber conversationProcessed with VSCO with b5 preset
