Virtual Ground Catalogue
Press Release
Graduate Showcase
The “Virtual Ground” physical exhibition was held at Asylum Chapel; a stunning grade two listed building and Safehouse 1 and 2; two abandoned Victorian houses in Peckham London; currently a hub for contemporary art. This new show brought together the works of 20 interdisciplinary artists, who work and experiment at the intersection of art and science. They are researching a broad range of subjects from ecology to philosophy, neuroscience to spirituality, light to perception, biotechnology to feminism, oceanography to energy 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.
Class of 2021
- Audrey Rangel Aguirre
- Ray Bass
- Steffi Callaghan
- Yan Cheng
- Georgina Clift
- Martha Gray
- Holly Hewitt
- Molly Macleod
- Hermine De Clauzade De Mazieux
- Noa Rodríguez Méndez
- Julia Ovenden
- Yichen Qian
- Anna Strøe
- Bridget Swann
- Peng Wu
- Ziqin Yan
- Nil Yang
- Lesley Yawen
- Haoran Ye
- Kaini Zhang
The exhibition took place at both Asylum Chapel and Safehouses 1 & 2 between 6th July – 12th July 2021.
Alongside the exhibitions, Class of 2021 held an Online Symposium of presentations and an interactive guided tour on 1st July 2021.
Presentations by:
- Audrey Rangel Aguirre
- Yan Cheng
- Holly Hewitt
- Molly Macleod
- Noa Rodríguez M´endez
- Anna Strøe
- Bridget Swann
Moderated by:
- Nathan Cohen
- Heather Barnett
- Sabrina Mumtaz Hasan
- Adrian Holme
Some works presented focus on ecocentric perspectives, rethinking the dichotomy between human vs nature. They explore unmapped environments; such as wastelands, deep oceans, moon scapes 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 in 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?