UVA (United Visual Artists) 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.
This is an immersive exhibition marking UVS's 20th anniversary, featuring eight unique installations. It's UVA's largest exhibition at 180 Strand, and I encourage you to see it at your earliest convenience - it's spectacular. This is an auditory, visual, and olfactory experience that explores our understanding of space and time, and it allows us to deconstruct our reality and think about it from a higher (celestial) perspective.
Once you enter the exhibition space, you are directed to enter the first room and then follow arrows to the remaining seven rooms presenting the different installations. Keep in mind that these rooms are dark, so be careful, but there aren't any obstacles that would pose a trip hazard. The darkness adds to the experience. The image above, Present Shock II, is a continuous display of clocks with statistics and data from the internet and changing headlines. While some headlines are trivial and random, others reflect life-changing events that allow one to reflect positively on their existence and impact.
Edge of Chaos is a double pendulum kinetic sculpture that moves in ways that are random and unpredictable, guided by its own inertia. The dark room with the light moving as part of the pendulum was both unnerving and inspiring for me. A clicking sound conveys a sense of order and disorder, leaving the space open to imagination as described. Seeing beyond what's presented and letting the sound and light movement guide your thoughts and emotions is key.
Our Time is another installation using movement and light, this time with the pendulums moving in and out of sync from the ceiling. Another dark room where you can walk around to see different angles, really creating a multisensory experience.
UVA: Synchronicity is an immersive digital art experience that demonstrates the attention to detail that went into creating the installations. You'll be able to read brief introductory texts about the installations as you move through each room. Reading this text after experiencing the installation is highly recommended - for me, this is the true purpose of this experience - not being influenced by the meaning of the artworks but using them to create your own interpretation.
UVA Team:
Matt Clark
Willem Kempers
Will Laslett
Maximo Recio
Lee Sampson
Jon Skerritt
For more information and to book tickets visit https://www.180studios.com/uva
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