G31, previously named Gallery 31, relaunches as a project space dedicated to the work of artists who are part of Somerset House Studios, as well as work developed through its residency programmes. Its new evolution will refocus its efforts on connecting ongoing work – at all stages of development – in the building to audiences, allowing them an opportunity to ‘look behind the curtain’ and to interact with the risk taking work that’s flourishing within the building.
Open year-round, it hosts a programme of installations and durational activities, most of which are free to attend, as part of the wider Somerset House Studios programme. The work to be shown in the space will vary in its development from work in progress to final commissions, and premieres with long-standing Studios’ resident Libby Heaney’s new VR installation, Heartbreak and Magic on 9 February. Exhibition Studio 01 will follow in March, presenting the work of early career artists enorê, Leila Dear and Ufuoma Essi, supported through a residency at the Studios. Curator Jareh Das will share a new collaboration with Studios’ residents in June. G31’s transformation into a space for experimentation reflects the ongoing mission of the Studios to support process and collaboration across artistic disciplines.
Heartbreak and Magic is a new virtual reality artwork and physical installation by the award-winning Somerset House Studios artist and quantum physicist Dr. Libby Heaney. Heaney, who has been a resident since 2017, has exhibited work which was developed in-house at the Studios at the likes of Ars Electronica, Tate Modern, V&A and the Southbank Centre.
Drawing on the artist’s own experience with personal grief and sudden loss, the artwork explores the non-binary and non-local qualities of quantum physics to offer alternative perspectives on how we think and feel about the self and existence. The immersive installation invites audiences to connect deeply with their emotions by exploring the meaning of existence in both the physical and virtual realms.
Heartbreak and Magic will include virtual reality artwork set within a specially designed physical installation featuring mixed-media paintings which connects to the virtual experience. Audiences will experience a shifting, multilayered landscape that evokes themes of cyclicity, liminality, and the multiverse.
The installation continues Heaney’s explorations into the “magical” possibilities of quantum physics–in particular the inherent plurality and interconnectedness within concepts such as superposition and entanglement. Heaney developed the work through an iterative, experimental process involving both physical and digital forms of creativity, from movement practice, writing, drawing, and painting to bespoke quantum computing code and game engine prototyping, it brings her experimentation with quantum computing into virtual reality for the first time.
Heartbreak and Magic is commissioned by VIVE Arts and presented in partnership with Somerset House.
Booking opens Tuesday 12 December. Please register your interest in the limited capacity press preview by emailing Isis O’Regan: isis@tsf-pr.com
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Heartbreak and Magic by Libby Heaney
9-18 February
G31 | £6