The Uncanny Valley

About

A group exhibition exploring the phenomenon of “the uncanny valley” through computer generated imagery, computer game design, video, photography and kinetic sculpture. With work by Julia Crabtree and William Evans, Benedict Drew, Sidsel Meineche Hansen, Holly Herndon, Joey Holder, Sophie Jung, Lawrence Lek, Rachel Maclean and Katja Novitskova.

The Uncanny Valley is a phrase that was coined by robotics professor Masahiro Mori as a way to describe an emotional response that can be measured when encountering objects that are hyper-real; where there is a moment of intellectual uncertainty about what is being viewed that gives way to a feeling of discomfort or disorientation. More recently the term has been applied to computer game design and CGI in the film industry.

This group exhibition aims to explore the phenomenon, alongside contributing to the discourse around screen based and digital works, by exploring the aesthetics of the uncanny through computer generated imagery, computer game design, video, photography and kinetic sculpture.

The majority of the artists selected for the exhibition have an already existing relationship to Wysing through having participated in residencies, retreats, exhibitions and, in the case of musician Holly Herndon, the annual festival of experimental music.

Wysing hosts an ongoing series of talks by artists, and leading academics and scientists based at the University of Cambridge, and some of these discussions have helped to shape the exhibition.

Exhibition open daily 12-5pm.