Art made in peculiar times
14 July - 17 July 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the University of the Arts London Summer Shows in 2020. Students graduating from the Fine Art programmes at Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon had to quickly adapt to an online showcase. The Fine Art 2020 Alumni Show, 2022, exhibited work created by students during the 2020 pandemic, which they were never able to present physically.
Cyberdelic dreams
I presented virtual works created for my UAL Graduate Showcase 2020 project 'Cyberdelic' in an immersive audiovisual installation.
'Cyberdelic' was a term coined to describe the fusion of cyberculture and psychedelic counterculture in the 1980s and 1990s. This movement was a utopian vision which embraced technology as a means to create transcendental experiences and personal freedom. However, the techno-utopianism that prevailed in the cyberdelic counterculture withered along with the burst of the dot-com bubble in 2000.
This installation depicted a pre-pandemic utopian vision of my workspace and dreams for the future. Each object provides a clue relating to my influences, processes, and artistic hopes and dreams at the time. Much like the cyberdelic political vision, my utopian vision of artistic prospects burst, turning out to be nothing but an illusion.
Exhibition key information
Exhibition dates: 14th July to 17 July 2022. Open Thursday 6.00 - 9.00 pm, Friday to Sunday 11.00 am to 6.00 pm. Free admission.
Location: Chelsea College of Art & Design, 16 John Islip St, London SW1P 4JU
Alumni who graduated from the following courses in 2020 were invited to take part in this exhibition:
Camberwell College of Arts
BA Fine Art: Drawing
BA Fine Art: Painting
BA Fine Art: Photography
BA Fine Art: Sculpture
MA Fine Art: Drawing
MA Fine Art: Painting
MA Fine Art: Printmaking
MA Visual Arts: Book Arts
MA Visual Arts: Fine Art Digital
Chelsea College of Arts
BA Fine Art
Graduate Diploma Fine Art
MA Fine Art
MA Curating and Collections
Wimbledon College of Arts
BA Fine Art: Painting
BA Fine Art: Print and Time-based Media
BA Fine Art: Sculpture
MFA Fine Art