A new Microworld by Genetic Moo LG opens at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
This is the third and largest Microworld we have opened this year.
Microworld Coventry is at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, opposite Coventry Cathedral, and occupies the 250sqm temporary exhibition space up the stairs past Dippy the Dinosaur. The exhibition features seven of our interactives, including a new modular Kinect driven piece called ‘The Magic Place’ (a name conjured up by a six-year-old girl to describe a previous Microworld) presented as a two-screen projection. It consists of popular computer iconography including sprites, emojis and golden-age era video games in a psychedelic theatrical mashup. Magic Place moves away from our usual artificial life-forms into a zone of pure intuitive body interaction inspired by the pioneering work of Myron Krueger and we plan to expand the piece into its own exhibition in the future.
The main room also includes generative art-toys SEED and Animats and one of our digital creature portraits – Hector and the Sunstars. Multiple is present as usual and is the only work to have shown in all the major Microworlds. Another new piece Wormhole sits at the end of the room chewing up and spitting out pixelated video imagery of everything going on.
Microworld Coventry encourages frenzied fun and was designed with a family audience in mind. The show also incorporates items from the Herbert’s collection including digitised versions of Stevengraph ribbons, and many household items from their displays. Complimenting the main room is a chill-out cinema space complete with bean-bags where you can contemplate Mother, and its never-ending churning. Mother was one of our earliest works (2008) and the first thing we showed with the London Group. We have added a generative sound track, which merges seamlessly into the main room’s ambient soundscape designed by composer Julia Schauerman, Nicola’s sister.
Finally to add another layer of input we worked with Dave, the Herbert’s lighting designer, on LEDs and Gobos, both fixed and moving head lights, to animate the floor space with washes of colours, patterns and these 4 extraordinary cell-like amoebas. They drifting around the space and over the interactive pieces as if they were creatures exploring their new world. This is the first time we’ve worked with lighting like this and it really lifts the space. Thanks to Herbert for providing this and the brilliant technicians Thom and Steve for the install. And thanks to exhibition manager Dominic Bubb for putting this all together. We’re really excited to see how the Coventry public react to the show.
MICROWORLD COVENTRY
Sat 26 Oct 2024 – Sun 23 Feb 2025
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
Jordan Well, Coventry CV1 5QP
Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 to 15:15
£3 for all, Under 3’s and Go CV+ FREE
Microworld Coventry by Genetic Moo
Exhibition organised by Lumen Studios
