Artists steal Tate Modern for a Virtual Art Show

“Artists recreate the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in VR and Create Their Own Art Show”

Ever wondered how exciting it would be to create an installation for a world-renowned space like the iconic Turbine Hall? Alex Adderley, Xavi Sole and Tom Szirtes from digital studio Mbryonic weren’t going to wait for an invitation from the Tate. So they decided to stage their own art show in a Turbine Hall recreated entirely in virtual reality.

The show is called The Sleep Of Reason Still Produces Monsters. When visitors put on the virtual reality headset they are transported to an alternate version of the hall in which giant disembodied heads are rolling around the floor having a celebration, and that’s before things start getting really strange!

Described as “having a nightmare in the best possible way” – the surreal three minute experience is inspired by three paintings of Goya: the Hill of San Isidro, The Pilgrimage of San Isidro, and the Great He-Goat. The audience witnesses the evolution of the same scene, from a cheerful celebration to a pilgrimage of dark characters heading to the hermitage on an Idol. The work is the first in a planned series of experiences based in virtual versions of iconic spaces as part of Mbryonic’s Appropriation project.

Tom Szirtes, founder of Mbryonic says “By appropriating an iconic space we want to challenge perceptions around the role of museums and galleries, and to explore how we might experience art in a virtual future”.

The project was produced entirely independently of the Tate and has been shown at First Look in LA and at OFFF festival.

About Mbryonic

Mbryonic is a digital design studio based in East London specialising in creating virtual and augmented reality immersive experiences. Mbryonic works on innovative original concepts and partners with brands to create memorable impactful experiences using emerging technologies.