British Land commissioned Futurecity to oversee the creation of an artistic tribute to pioneering mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing at its Paddington Central campus.
Unveiled this week, the public artwork is called ‘Message from the Unseen World’, and celebrates the life and work of Turing, who was born in Paddington and is best known for the leading role he played in breaking the enigma code during the Second World War.
The piece, which spans the width of Bishop’s Bridge Road, was curated by Futurecity and devised by United Visual Artists (“UVA”), in collaboration with Hackney-based poet Nick Drake.
Matt Clark of UVA conceived a living artwork, with a poem as the centrepiece. He approached Nick Drake to write the verse, which depicts Turing speaking posthumously about his life.
The installation comprises aluminium panels perforated by holes and LEDs which display extracts from Turing’s ground-breaking ‘Computing Machinery and Intelligence’ in patterns based on Baudot code. As the LEDs are illuminated they reveal words and verses from Drake’s poem, with the display controlled by an algorithm which experiments with different combinations of letters and words.
‘Message from the Unseen World’ is located close to the canalside entrance to Paddington Underground Station under Bishops Bridge Road, at the entrance to the 11 acre Paddington Central campus.
Rachael McNabb, Futurecity curator, said: “The project is an example of how large-scale, digital art and design can work successfully in public places, enlivening unseen parts of the city. It’s with exactly this sort of creative vision – which is increasingly led by the private sector – that London can continue to be a world-class city of culture.
Tim Downes, Development Executive for Offices at British Land, said: “It’s our partners in the art and design world, like Futurecity who help British Land put the sparkle into their public spaces and make them places that people enjoy, whether it’s their destination or they’re simply passing through.”
Matt Clark, United Visual Artists said: “The artwork itself is a continuously evolving machine; an ‘engine’ that uses basic principles of artificial intelligence to endlessly interpret Drake’s work. The result is a literal in memoriam for Turing, a dynamic artwork that reminds us of the complementary relationship between people and technology, how it has changed from the 20th to early 21st Century, and how this relationship will continue to develop.”
Nick Drake said: “To take poetry and make it a collaborative project has been hugely exciting. We are not simply presenting the poem, rather we are exploring the idea of a machine thinking poetically – or perhaps more accurately – appearing to write like a poet while thinking like a machine, which goes to the very heart of Turing’s explorations on artificial intelligence. I hope the piece makes people more aware of Turing’s remarkable life and ground-breaking work.”
David Lockyer, Head of Office Asset Management at British Land, said: “British Land has a long association with art. We are proud to present ‘Message from the Unseen World’, which not only celebrates one of Paddington’s most famous sons, it speaks to the area’s evolution into a hub for innovation, technology and creative disruption.”
About United Visual Artists
United Visual Artists is a London based art practice founded in 2003 by Matthew Clark, Chris Bird and Ash Nehru. UVA’s work encompasses large-scale temporary and permanent installations, small-scale artworks and live performance based projects.
The studio’s lines of enquiry include the tension between real and synthesised experiences; the questioning of our relationship with technology, and our perceptual experiences of natural phenomena such as space and time.
UVA have been commissioned by institutions including Victoria & Albert Museum, Royal Academy of Arts, Barbican, The Serpentine Gallery, Manchester International Festival and YCAM Japan. Their work has been exhibited at galleries including The Royal Academy, The Wellcome Collection, Blain | Southern, Riflemaker and the British Library.
The studio has an open approach to collaboration, which has led to a diverse range of projects including with choreographer Benjamin Millepied and the Paris Opéra Ballet, filmmaker Adam Curtis and musicians Massive Attack, Battles and James Blake.
For further information, please visit www.uva.co.uk
About Nick Drake
Nick Drake is a poet, screenwriter, and playwright living in London.
His first screenplay, an adaptation of Raimond Gaita’s Romulus, My Father, directed by Richard Roxburgh, Released in 2007, it won Best Film at the Australian Film Awards, and the screenplay was shortlisted for Best Screenplay. It was the highest grossing domestic film of that year.
Nick’s first poetry collection, The Man in the White Suit (Bloodaxe 1999) was a Poetry Society Recommendation and won the Waterstones/Forward Prize for Best First Collection. It was followed by From The Word Go (Bloodaxe 2006).
Theatre work includes: To Reach the Clouds, an adaptation of Philippe Petit’s account of his walk between the Twin Towers (Nottingham Playhouse 2007); Success for National Theatre Connections (2009); All The Angels (Wanamaker Playhouse, Globe Theatre 2015).
Nick collaborated with United Visual Artists on the award-winning installation High Arctic (National Maritime Museum 2011).
For further information please visit http://www.nickfdrake.com/