1

REFLECTIONS

REFLECTIONS

32

MEMO AkTEN

22

YuRI SuzukI

40

AMANdA ChARChIAN

10

MARgARIdA SARdINhA

24

kRISTIN ANd dAvY MCguIRE

18

dANIEL ROzIN

5

In 1996, a group of seven young researchers walked down the halls of Massachusetts Institute of

Technology with dreams of being cyborgs. Carrying computer transmitters in their back pockets, the group

was intent on exploring the way humans could live in a simultaneously physical and virtual world. Their

process was painful at first; their devices an interference. But gradually the group learned to integrate

technology into their lives to the point where its presence became tolerable, then familiar, then inseparable

to their physical identities. In its persistence, technology had allowed the group to expand their capacity

of perception and interaction with the three-dimensional world, offering an exotic connectivity of poetic,

existential magnitude.

Twenty years later, we are all cyborgs. Increasingly dedicating more time to the Internet through our

virtual social media avatars, we have succeeded in cloning our physical selves to live permanently in two

separate dimensions. Our perceptive reality has been shaped accordingly. A culture of the flat-image,

our screens have become two-dimensional windows into a multi-dimensional realm; our interpersonal

connections equally, if not more so, sustained through our digital rather than physical interactions.

Tantalized by the impact of these gradual and irreversible shifts on the nature of speculation, Opera

Gallery is thrilled to present Reflections, an exhibition of predominantly digital art curated by Neil

McConnon, Head of Barbican International Enterprises, Barbican Centre.

Reflections

Jean-David MalatDirector

Opera Gallery London

Gilles DyanFounder & Chairman

Opera Gallery Group

Augmented Reality (AR) functions as a live view of reality augmented by computer sensory input. Information about the real world of the user becomes interactive and digitally manipulable, thus enhancing one’s current perception of reality. Follow these simple instructions to experience augmented reality on the catalogue artworks accompanied by the AR pictogram:

1. Download the free app ONpoint for Android or iPhone

2. Scan the artworks marked with

3. Watch the image digitally transform

7

Digital technology has become an all pervasive medium. Over recent decades it has evolved into a force

for creation and expression on a scale beyond anything most of us might have dared imagine. ‘Digital’

is now embedded within almost every aspect of the contemporary life of ‘industrialised countries’, with

huge global implications - positive and negative.

The possibilities of digital communication have during these past decades inspired a number of

artists to extend their practice into new areas. The virtual world has become increasingly validated,

challenging perceived notions and hierarchies and pushing working methodologies into new, often

uncharted territories. Computers and mobile phones are now an almost inescapable part of modern

living. It is perhaps therefore not surprising that the boundaries between technology and art seem

increasingly fluid. Similarly, the delineations between disciplines are becoming more and more blurred

as artists, not content to be straight-jacketed, move between static imagery, film, music, theatre, fashion,

dance and installation. The art world and art audiences are adapting to these changes, and sometimes

challenging conceptions, enabling a wider dissemination and greater understanding of the medium.

The artists and works in this exhibition, Reflections, offer a sample of some of the ways in which

this ‘new media’ is being used, and range from relatively straight forward digital photography to, for

example, computer generated moving images. They embrace the medium as a tool and, like paint or clay

traditionally, use it to shape their visions of reality.

Foreword

9

MEMO AkTEN explores the collisions between man and machine. Fascinated by trying to understand the

world and human nature, he investigates technology’s role in learning more about ourselves, how we

connect with each other, and our relationship with nature, science, culture and tradition. Combining

conceptual work with investigations into form, movement and sound he works across many disciplines

including video, sound, light, dance, software, online works and large-scale immersive installations and

performances.

With a fascination and profound appreciation for mystery and the complexities of the unknown,

AMANdA ChARChIAN produces images which are mystical, playful and sensual. She creates surreal and

intimate landscapes to play out the recurring themes in her photographic work of nature and nudity,

usually forming lasting and meaningful connections with the women she shoots.

dAvY & kRISTIN MCguIRE create hybrid works with fragile materials that are momentarily brought to life

through digital projections and silent storytelling. The pieces are magical glimpses into other worlds,

often inspired by pre-cinema optical illusions, zoetropes or magic lanterns; they intrigue and mesmerise,

drawing the viewer into a world where fantasy and reality become entwined.

With titles such as Darwinian Lines Mirror, PomPom Mirror and Weave Mirror, dANIEL ROzIN creates works

that have the unique ability to change and respond to the presence and perspective of the viewer. Often the

viewer is represented in the content of the piece or invited to take an active role in the creation of the work.

Where computers and software are used in Rozin’s work, they are seldom visible, and what the viewer

experiences is usually a form of his or her own reflection, physically articulated and dramatically abstracted.

MARgARIdA SARdINhA creates work in the form of optical, abstract illusions. She is concerned with revealing

underlying parallels between literature, religion and science, seeking out conscious ‘meaning’ through a

process of photography, video and animation. The results are powerful and poetic.

YuRI SuzukI is a sound artist, designer, electronic musician and DJ who produces work that explores

the realms of sound through exquisitely designed pieces. His work does not sit neatly within any one

discipline, and has moved seamlessly between gallery, agency, stage and screen.

NEIL MCCONNON is Head of International Enterprises at Barbican Centre, London. He is responsible for conceiving and producing

some of the most challenging and successful exhibitions in Barbican’s history, developing major projects that launch in the UK

and tour internationally. He has worked with some of the world’s leading cultural organisations - collaborating as co-producers and

partners. Previously, Neil worked as a practising artist, a freelance curator/consultant and at the ICA London. He has a BA Fine Art

and Design (Central St Martins School of Art, London) and an MA Curating (Goldsmiths’ College, University of London).

Neil McConnonCurator

10 11

Margarida Sardinha is an artist and director born in Lisbon, Portugal

in 1978. She studied Fine Art and Combined Media Studies at Central

Saint Martins College of Art and at Chelsea College of Art and Design

in London, where she lived and worked for ten years. Sardinha’s cross-

media practice includes site-specific installation, experimental film and

animation, photography, video, sound and drawing, all geometric-kinetic

and abstract in nature. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her

directorial projects, including Best Experimental Film at the Hollywood

Reel Independent Film Festival, Great Lakes Film Festival, Creative Arts

Film Festival & Bridge Fest, Vancouver, Best Spiritual & Religious Film at

the Directors Circle Film Festival, Best Cinematic Vision awarded by the

London Film Awards, and an Honourable Mention at the 23rd New Orleans

Film Festival; The Indie; The Accolade and the Rochester International

Film Festival. Her visual work has been exhibited in major solo shows at

the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon, the Ericeira Cultura Center, Portugal, and the

Fernando Pessoa Museum, Lisbon.

MARgARIdA SARdINhA

Mirador de Lingaraja - La Relatividad de la Luz, 2014Digital photograph, photograph paper, plexiglass

150 x 94 x 35 cm - 59 x 37 x 13.8 in.Edition of 10

12 13

14 15

Oratorio del Palacio del Partal - Multiverso de Sonido, 2014Digital photograph, photograph paper, plexiglass

150 x 94 x 35 cm - 59 x 37 x 13.8 in.Edition of 10

Pateo de los Leones - Consciencia del Tiempo, 2014Digital photograph, photograph paper, plexiglass

150 x 94 x 35 cm - 59.1 x 37 x 13.8 in.Edition of 10

PReviOuS Page

Palacio del Partal - La Materia del Fuego, 2014Digital photograph, photograph paper, plexiglass

150 x 94 x 35 cm - 59 x 37 x 13.8 in.Edition of 10

16 17

interior del Palacio de Comares - La Singularidad de la Lente, 2014Digital photograph, photograph paper, plexiglass

150 x 94 x 35 cm - 59 x 37 x 13.8 in.Edition of 10

Pateo de los Leones - Punto de Origen, 2014Digital photograph, photograph paper, plexiglass

150 x 94 x 35 cm - 59 x 37 x 13.8 in.Edition of 10

18 19

Daniel Rozin is an artist, educator, and developer who makes interactive

installations and sculptures that have the unique ability to change and

respond to the presence of a viewer. His «mirror works» respond in

real-time to recreate a live visual representation of the viewer’s likeness,

staging the audience as an active, creative, and integral part of his pieces.

Past exhibitions of his work include the Reina Sofía National Museum,

Madrid; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Garage CCC,

Moscow; ICC, Tokyo; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Taiwan National

Museum of Fine Art, Taipei; Barbican Centre, London; Bunkamura

Museum of Art, Tokyo; the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museums,

Beijing; Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; and the Sundance Film

Festival, among others. The recipient of numerous awards, including the

Prix Ars Electronica, I.D. Design Review, Chrysler Design Award, and

the Rothschild Prize, Rozin is an associate arts professor at ITP in the

Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He earned a BD at the

Jerusalem Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and an MPS from NYU.

He lives and works in New York.

Daniel Rozin

Darwinian Rotating Lines Mirror, 2014Video camera, custom software, computer, 46” screen

Dimensions variable, horizontal or verticalEdition of 6, 1 AP

© Image courtesy of bitforms gallery, New York

Darwinian Rotating Lines Mirror (2014) is the third piece in Daniel Rozin's series of Darwinian Software Mirrors. The

behavior of the software is based on Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, by which organisms heritable

traits change over successive generation, based on a given environment. In this piece, programmed “evolutionary

pressure” pushes the artwork to resemble the viewer’s mirrored image. Interacting and responding to the presence

of a viewer, each work varies in its formal properties of line, luminosity, and tempo, as screen-based pictures are built

improvisationally.’

20 21

Yuri Suzuki is a sound artist and electronic musician who produces work

that explores the realms of sound through exquisitely designed pieces.

Suzuki was born in Tokyo in 1980. Between 1999 and 2005 he worked

for the Japanese art unit Maywa Denki, where he developed a strong

interest in music and technology.

In 2005 he moved to London to study at the Royal College of Art,

where he now teaches Design Interaction and Information Experience.

Suzuki’s work raises questions on the relationship between sound

and people and how music and sound affect people’s mind. His sound

art pieces and installations have been shown in exhibitions all around

the world including the Tate Gallery London, Mudam Luxembourg and

Nam June Pike Art Centre. In 2014, the Museum of Modern Art, New

York acquired his work OTOTO and Colour Chasers to their permanent

collection.

YuRI SuzukI

Tube Map Radio, 2012Annotated Electrical Circuit

30 x 25 cm - 11.8 x 9.8 in.Edition of 50

Tube Map Radio

The map is inspired by a spoof diagram created by the original designer of the London Tube map, Harry Beck, which

shows the lines and stations as an annotated electrical circuit. Iconic landmarks on this map are represented by

components relating to their functions, including a speaker where Speakers’ Corner sits and a battery representing

Battersea Power Station.

22 23

Sound of the earth, 2009 - 2012Spherical record project

Film loop: 30 minutesEdition of 30

Sound of the Earth

The grooves in Sound of the Earth represent the outlines of the geographic land mass. Each country on the disc

is engraved with a different sound. As the needle moves across the sphere, it plays field recordings collected by

the artist from around the world over the course of four years.

Sound of the Waves

Sound of the Waves is a simulation of sea wave patterns that picks up patterns from site specific beaches in the world and

plays it back acoustically via the African Rainstick.

© Alice Masters

Sound of the Waves, 2015Simulation sea wave patterns, picking up patterns from site-specific beaches in the world and playing them back acoustically via an African rain stick

Sound loop: 30 minutesEdition of 30

24 25

kRISTIN ANd dAvY MCguIRE

Paper Noir - Laundromat, 2015Paper model, sound and video, framed in a box

62 x 38 x 13 cm - 24.4 x 14.9 x 5.1 in.Edition of 5

Davy & Kristin McGuire are the founders and designers of an

award winning creative studio based in Bristol, UK. Creating hybrid

installations and theatrical projects, the McGuires bring to life delicately

hand-made settings through digital projections and storytelling. Their

2009 project The Icebook, the world’s first projection mapped pop-up

book, achieved enormous success both online and on tour. They are the

recipients of The Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award 2013 and

the Helpmann Award for Best Visual Theatre Production 2015, and have

exhibited, screened and published their works internationally. Kristin,

a trained dancer with the Mark Bruce Company, has performed with

international companies including Cirque du Soleil. Her husband Davy

has a background in theatre and film.

27

Ophelia, 201562 x 32 x 24 cm - 24.4 x 12.5 x 9.4 in.

Video sculpture, holographic projection, framed in cabinetEdition of 10

Jam Jar Fairy, 201547 x 33 x 33 cm - 18.5 x 13 x 13 in.

Video sculpture, holographic projection of Kristen, filmed by Davy, framed in cabinetEdition of 25

28 29

Hitchcock - Birds, 2013Paper Model, sound and video, framed in box

54 x 65 x 47 cm - 21.2 x 25.5 x 18.5 in.Edition of 1

Hitchcock - Rear Window, 2013Paper Model, sound and video, framed in box

74 x 76 x 62 cm - 29.1 x 29.9 24.4 in.Edition of 1

30 31

Hitchcock - Psycho, 2013Paper Model, sound and video, framed in box

66 x 69 x 53 cm - 26 x 27.2 x 20.8 in.Edition of 1

32 33

Memo Akten is an artist from Istanbul, based in London, UK. He works

with systems and algorithms; exploring the harmonies and tensions

between nature, science, technology, culture and tradition. Combining

conceptual work with investigations into form, movement and sound,

he works across many disciplines including video, sound, light, dance,

software, online works, installations and performances.

His work has been exhibited worldwide, including the Victoria & Albert

Museum, London, Royal Opera House, London; Tate Britain, London;

La Gaîté lyrique, Paris; Holon Design Museum, Israel and the EYE Film

Institute, Amsterdam, among many others. Alongside his practice,

Akten is currently working towards a PhD at Goldsmiths University

of London in artificial intelligence and expressive human-machine

interaction.

MEMO AkTEN

Still from Equilibrium, 2014Interactive touch-screen video installation, 1ch HD touch-screen LCD, custom software

Variable dimensions (screen: 76.2 or 152.4 cm - 30 or 60 in.)Edition of 6 + 1AP

34 35

Still from Equilibrium, 2014Interactive touch-screen video installation, 1ch HD touch-screen LCD, custom software

Variable dimensions (screen: 76.2 or 152.4 cm - 30 or 60 in.)Edition of 6 + 1AP

36 37

installation of equilibrium, 2014 Interactive touch-screen video installation

1ch HD touch-screen LCD, custom softwareDimensions: variable (screen: 76.2 or 152.4 cm - 30 or 60 in.)

38 39

installation of equilibrium, 2014 Interactive touch-screen video installation

1ch HD touch-screen LCD, custom softwareDimensions: variable (screen: 76.2 or 152.4 cm - 30 or 60 in.)

gold, 20091ch HD LCD screen, infrared camera, custom software

Variable dimensions (screen: 107 or 228.6 cm - 42 or 90 in.)Edition of 6 + 1AP

40 41

AMANdA ChARChIAN

antelope Canyon, 2014C-Print photography

91.5 x 61 cm - 36 x 24 in.Edition of 10

Amanda Charchian is a Los Angeles based fine artist and photographer

born in 1988. She received her BFA from Otis College of Art and

Design and has exhibited in numerous exhibitions worldwide. Bathed

in saturated hues, Charchian’s photographs present an exploration

of the liberated female body. Charchian uses a distinct blend of grain

texture, multiple exposure and light play to generate her captivating

and surrealist works.

43

india in Woodstock ii, 2014C-Print photography

61 x 91.5 cm - 24 x 36 in.Edition of 10

44 45

ginger entanglement, 2013C-Print photography

76.2 x 76.2 cm - 30 x 30 in.Edition of 10

47

india in Woodstock, 2014C-Print photography

91.5 x 61 cm - 36 x 24 in.Edition of 10

antelope Canyon, 2014C-Print photography

61 x 91.5 cm - 24 x 36 in.Edition of 10

48 49

ginger entanglement, 2013C-Print photography

76.2 x 76.2 cm - 30 x 30 in.Edition of 10

Curator Neil McConnon

Coordinators Jean-David Malat, Marion Galan Alfonso, Gili Karev, Margaux De Pauw, Florie-Anne Mondoloni author Gili Karev Designer Willie Kaminski Printers Typoform

Opera Gallery, 134 New Bond Street, London W1S 2TF

+44 (0) 207 491 2999 | london@operagallery.com

operagallery.com

54

OpERAgALLERY.COM