Reconfiguring Perceptions of Space

Topologies #1 was presented in Nxt Museum’s exhibition. Shifting Proximities explored human experience and interaction in the face of social and technological change. The exhibition comprised of seven audiovisual artworks, fusing creative ideas with groundbreaking academic research and technological innovation, illustrated the space between ourselves and others. ⁠

Topologies #1 continued United Visual Artists’ explorations of programmable light architecture. The artwork projected planes of light that stretched across the room, cut through the smokey viod and created shifting geometries that continuously divided and reconfigured the space. Visitors traversed through a vast, transforming 25 metre long hallway plunged in darkness, sometimes seemingly with others, sometimes alone, challenging their perception of and the relationship between body, space and time refracted.

UVA is a London based collective founded in 2003 by British artist Matt Clark. UVA’s diverse body of work integrates new technologies with traditional media such as sculpture, performance and site-specific installation. Drawing from sources ranging from ancient philosophy to theoretical science, the practice explores the cultural frameworks and natural phenomena that shape our cognition, creating instruments that manipulate our perception and expose the relativity of our experiences. Rather than material objects, UVA’s works are better understood as events in time, in which the performance of light, sound and movement unfolds.

UVA has been commissioned internationally by institutions including the Barbican Curve Gallery (UK), Manchester International Festival (UK), Royal Academy of Arts London (UK), Serpentine Gallery London (UK), The Wellcome Trust (UK), Towner Gallery East Sussex (UK), V&A Museum (UK), YCAM Tokyo (JP) and others. Previous group exhibitions include Blain|Southern London (UK), Riflemaker London (UK), Bryce Wolkowitz New York (USA), Seoul Museum of Art (ROK) and Power Station of Art Shanghai (CN).

Interested in hearing the artists’ story about artwork? Listen to our Podcast episode to dive into the background story of Topologies #1:

Listen to the podcast episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts