Lighthouse - Suspending Disbelief
Haus Projects was delighted to be invited South to work with arts agency Lighthouse in Brighton, coordinating a design fictions exhibition entitled Suspending Disbelief in conjunction with the major annual digital design conference dConstruct. The exhibition took place at Lighthouse and Brighton Dome, Brighton in August and September 2010.
Four incredible works were selected for the exhibition, all of which materialise speculative ideas, near-futures, or illusory realities, in a series of devices, sculptures, interactive objects, photographic scenarios and installations which challenge our perception of what is plausible.
The works include:
Caleb Larsen: A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter, 2009, a sculpture which perpetually auctions itself on ebay.
Andrew Friend: Fantastic Series, 2010, Device for Experiencing Lightning Strike, Device for Experiencing the Invisible, Device for Disappearing (at Sea); photographic representations of three devices which suggest fantastical interactions between the human body and nature.
Julian Oliver: levelHead, 2008, a 3D spatial memory game (pictured), that takes the form of a digital Echeresque-world
Becca Gill & Jay Kerry: Magician's Desk, 2010 where the trickery and illusion of 19th century magic is materialised through pervasive media.
The works in Suspending Disbelief go beyond being mere puzzles: they are reality hacks, conceptual conundrums and physicalised thought-experiments which call into question everyday logic and its interaction rules and rituals.
Lighthouse is a leading arts agency in South East England supporting, commissioning and showcasing new work by artists and filmmakers. As well as being a vibrant venue for events in Brighton, Lighthouse produces professional development and mentoring programmes, exhibitions, and events for digital artists and filmmakers.
The exhibition was in partnership with Clearleft and Arts Council England, and sponsored by Spectrum Photographic, Ilford and Maison d’Ailleurs