A Questionable Companionship

About

Can the existence of worms help us understand the evolving nature of technology?

Emerging artists ASH//ELLA invite audiences to curate their own Augmented Reality (AR) exhibition. Pushing the boundaries of viewing art to the next level, viewers become the driver of their own exhibition experience, displaying and viewing the artworks in the gallery and beyond, from gardens and public spaces, to bedrooms across the nation.

A Question of Companionship observes the life and existence of worms, and their symbiotic relationship with their environment. Through eight immersive and playful videos, these humble creatures become a metaphor for thinking about technology as a living, growing extension of the complex human ecosystem.

Hosted at The Royal Standard, this interactive exhibition is commissioned by Cognitive Sensations as part of their season ‘The Downloadable Brain’ — exploring near futures and fictions to understand the synergy of human biology and new technologies.

Previewing on the 15th July, audiences are invited to participate in our launch night, from any location and any city, curating their own DIY exhibition in a place of their choosing. Audiences will be fully in control of their engagement with the artworks, positioning and consuming the AR prompts in their setting of choice. Printable exhibition packs will be available to download in advance, or local audiences can collect one from The Royal Standard on the launch evening, before dispersing into the City to bring their vision to fruition.

Creating a constellation of immersive AR exhibitions, this curatorial approach seeks to maximise participation and interactivity through personalised approaches that get our audiences moving.

The merging of virtual and physical environments situates this artwork in the very medium it critiques. This is a mutual ground, an interaction between two parts. How can this view of nature, which feeds, mutates and exists through interspecies connection, help us consider our own complex relationship with the technologies of our time?

If you would like to sign up to receive a downloadable pack by email or pick up a pack from The Royal Standard on the 15th July as part of the launch event, please email cognitivesensations@gmail.com.

After the launch, the exhibition will be open to view from 16th July till 1st August. Opening times are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 12 - 6 PM.