WONDER - Where Reality and Imaginary Collide
Seven remarkable artists have been united to take you on a journey to enchanting new worlds, one of unexpected environments, and dreamlike realities.
Inspired by the museum’s collection and Coventry, Wonder will take you beyond gallery walls with immersive fun for visitors of all ages. From urban landscapes to reimagined cartoon characters, a light pavilion, and creatures brought to life by augmented reality, be prepared for unexpected and unimaginable wonders!
© Ben Javens
The Artists
Antonio Roberts is a new media artist and curator who uses technology-driven processes to explore issues surrounding open source software, free culture and collaborative practices. For Wonder, he reimagines popular cartoon characters to discuss the sinister side of these childhood fairytales and question the use of IP and copyright laws to control how these stories are told and by whom.
© Antonio Roberts
Illustrator, Ben Javens invites you to go beyond the gallery wall like Alice through the looking glass. His work will incorporate a salon hang from his own pieces and the Herbert’s collection, leading to a life-size diorama installation. Crawl through an aperture to discover a hidden landscape and more!
© Ben Javens
Edie Jo Murray is a neuro-divergent practitioner with an obsession with digital sensory experiences and alternate realities. For Wonder, Edie brings insects and animals from the Herbert’s Natural History collection to life using Augmented Reality technology alongside animations. Uncover hidden creatures by scanning artworks throughout the exhibition, and explore ideas of digital replication and preservation.
© Edie Jo Murray
Julia Snowdin creates unexpected and unimaginable spaces for families and friends to come together for a shared experience of play and interaction within Light Pavilion. The light installation offers moments of magic and calm as patterns and colours spiral in an unexpected and unimaginable space. Captivating and alluring, Light Pavilion is for all audiences to watch, share and enjoy together, and leave with memories. Julia's work has been kindly supported by Arts Council England.
© Julia Snowdin
Lucy McLauchlan’s large-scale monochromatic paintings have covered multi-story buildings across Europe, gigantic billboards in China, windows in Japan, huts in The Gambia, Detroit car parks and abandoned NYC subway tunnels. Taking imprints of the Herbert and its physical surroundings, she creates a form of documentation using canvases painted beyond the frame edge, and public murals in the city.
© Lucy McLauchlan
Davy and Kristin McGuire have created a body of work inspired by the seedy, shady underworld of Film Noir. Characters come alive within a series of intricate, animated, wall-mounted dollhouses. These magical artworks somehow take the viewer back to a child-like state of fascination and awe. The silent dioramas are made more absorbing when you become aware that the artists themselves play all of the characters. Through a combination of technology and creativity the delicate fantasies are momentarily brought to life through digital projections and silent storytelling.
© Davy & Kristin McGuire
#WonderCov