Private View: Friday 27 May, 6 – 8pm
Exhibition: 28 May – 18 June 2022 
(open 12-4pm, Tuesday – Saturday)
Location: Artcore Gallery, 8 Albert Street, Osnabruck Square, Derby, DE1 2DS

Thanks to recent advances in semantic enrichment technology, researchers Matt Woodham and Benjamin Shirley-Quirk have reconstructed a kinetic, interactive lantern from plans found in manuscript fragments dating from the 7th to 16th centuries. Transforming Artcore Derby into a truth-illuminating lighthouse, this proof-of-concept demonstrates a technology both new and old, which promises to revolutionise decision-making throughout government and industry.

East Midlands-based creatives Matt Woodham and Benjamin Shirley-Quirk were selected for one of three NMG Development Programme Collaborative Project Bursaries, in partnership with Artcore, aimed at pairs looking to work collaboratively to develop and deliver a project together.

Bios: 

Matt Woodham aims to expose the system dynamics of nature, integrating mathematical and physical models to describe the common behaviours of complex systems. His academic background in cognitive neuroscience informs an interdisciplinary approach which aims to bring together ideas and communities across art, music, science and technology. He uses live settings to create immediate, real-time experiences in both physical and online spaces.

Benjamin is a trained blacksmith who primarily works with code and embedded microcontroller systems. He has a passionate interest in sculpture, physical and abstract problem solving, mathematical representations of the world and dialogue between aesthetics and craftsmanship. He is an active toolmaker, and contributes to programming languages and open-source software communities. He builds tools and techniques to solve functional and aesthetic problems within both his programming and blacksmithing.

About Artcore: 

Artcore is an international centre for contemporary art and creativity based in Derby, UK, and is home to Artcore Gallery, studios and work spaces as well as a shop and café. A vibrant hub for commissioning, production, presentation and debate, we offer opportunities for diverse audiences to engage directly with creative practices through participation and discussion.

Here at Artcore we believe that contemporary art and creativity are central to the development of people and places. We have an extensive exhibition and residency programme which helps support early, mid-career and established artists to create work which deals with pressing social, political and environmental issues.