Sing The Body Electric Collection 1

Sing The Body Electric

Immersive Exhibition

Sat 26 Oct - Sun 24 Nov

Undershed, Watershed

Slots run for 60 mins and are available:

Mon‑Fri 14:00‑20:30
Sat 11:15‑21:00
Sun 11:30‑19:45

With four artworks that explore tactile contact and gesture, this unique collection explores how our bodies engage with the people and environments that surround us.

From invisible forms to be found in mid-air to a shifting mirror of many bodies matching your movements, come and explore what it means to find a story with your hands - and imagine your way into the sensation of touching someone else’s skin.

“The entire body thinks. You don’t think with the mind; you think with the entire fleshed existence.”

— Rosi Braidotti

A blurry black and white photograph of a person, mid-movement

Vast Body

Installation
Mixed Reality

To move, to dance, to flow, to see ourselves, but most of all, to see others; Vast Body is a collaborative experiment on movement.

Through some kind of magic mirror, Vast Body connects your physical body with the digital incarnation of many others, offering the chance to briefly inhabit alternative bodies through movement. Drawing on timely questions of identity, empathy and the constant whirling of our relationships, it is a playful, visually arresting act of imagination.

Vast Body is an interactive installation you enter alone. You face a screen and, when you move your upper body, a wave of people on the screen reinterpret your gestures and mimic your moves. Summon music in your head or not — dance, turn around, wave, or move however you feel comfortable.

There is no beginning, middle and end - you can enter and leave at any time. The more you move, the more bodies you encounter.

Vincent Morisset and Caroline Robert

Vincent Morisset and Caroline Robert, from studio AATOAA in Montreal, are known for their works which combine craftsmanship and technology. In each of their projects, visitors are invited to become participants. These experiences put into perspective our relationship with others and the way we look at the world around us. The astonishing universe of Caroline and Vincent is embodied in different forms (interactive videos, installations in public spaces, XR, net art).

In the past, they have collaborated artistically with Arcade Fire, Skrillex and Sigur Rós. Their creations have been presented at the Venice Biennale, Sundance, SXSW and Japan Media Art Festivals. They have been the recipient of an Emmy Award, a Grammy and several Webbys.

In a dimly lit room a woman sits at a desk wearing a headset. Her back is to us.

Turbulence / Jamais Vu

Mixed Reality
Virtual Reality

XR artist Ben Andrews lives with a disability called vestibular migraine, which impacts his sense of orientation, balance and spatial awareness - and affects his experience of reality. Everything familiar suddenly seems new and different.

In this intimate mixed reality work, Andrews uses a VR headset and a depth camera to explore his own experience, asking audiences to reflect on the fragility of perception and the beauty of our ever-moving world.

You enter a private space, sit down at a desk, and put on a VR headset. Guided by Ben’s voice, you are asked to complete a series of seemingly simple tasks.

The more time passes, the more the animated virtual world around you becomes unstable and difficult to navigate - creating an imaginative bridge between you and Ben's experience of the world.

Ben Joseph Andrews & Emma Roberts

Ben and Emma are a producer/director team working in location-based virtual realities. Their work merges immersive technologies within bespoke sensory environments to generate unique experiences that verge on the transcendent and sublime.

Their collaboration began with The Moon Is Gone And All The Kings Are Dead, commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the Victorian College of the Arts. The duo has also completed two projects for City of Melbourne: sci-fi installation allthestarstheybleedtogether (2016) and STARLESS (2017).

Before Turbulence, they made Gondwana - winner of the AIDC 2018 Greenpeace VR prize, which was selected for the Sheffield Doc/Fest Alternate Realities Talent Market (2019) and the Cannes XR Development Showcase (2020).

A still of a woman's face. Her eyes downcast.

I You We Me Us

Installation

This double monitor, silent film transcribes sensual expressions of intimacy, connection, love and hope – considering the potential of images, words and movement to convey visceral emotion and warmth.

Hands of family members, friends and lovers make gestures, play, move, touch and write small notes, interspersed with depictions of plants and time-lapsed flowers held under ultraviolet lights. Filmed by Salmon on 16mm colour film in her Glasgow flat, the work explores expressive kinship, love between a child and a parent, inter-generational, multi-gender affection, respect and care.

I You Me We Us is a two-channel, 16 mm silent film presented on two stacked monitors. Walk around the piece, sit on the floor, or lie down next to the moving images.

Margaret Salmon

Margaret Salmon lives and works in Glasgow. Concerned with a shifting constellation of relations, such as those between camera and subject or human and animal, her work often examines the gendered, emotive dynamics of social interactions and representational forms.

Solo exhibitions of her work have been held at institutions including Secession, (2023), DCA (2018/19), Tramway (2018) Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (2015); Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, USA (2011); Witte de With Centre for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam (2007); and Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (2007).

Her work has been featured in film festivals and major international survey exhibitions, including The Yokohama Triennial (2024), The British Art Show 9 (2021/22), Glasgow International (2021), Berlin Biennale (2010) and Venice Biennale (2007) London Film Festival (2018, 2016, 2014). Salmon won the inaugural MaxMara Art Prize for Women in 2006, and the 2021 Paul Hamlyn Foundation Awards for Artists.

A woman wearing headphones and a mask stands before a black hole, feeling what's inside.

Invisible Sculptures (보이지 않는 조각들, 2018-2021)

Installation
Multi-sensory

A series of sculptures that can only be “seen” by engaging through senses other than vision.

The series consists of perceptible objects that embody physical space but are completely invisible to the naked eye. Experience two pieces from this ongoing series – Sound Sculpture and Air Sculpture - then have a go at making the invisible form out of clay.

By challenging sighted peoples' dependence on vision, Song expands the way in which we encounter and understand the world around us.

To perceive the Sound Sculpture and the Air Sculpture, you put on a pair of headphones and, upon approaching the sculpture, synchronise multiple sensory functions and your imagination to find and 'feel' the form of each sculpture.

Once you think you’ve found it you are invited to sit down at a table and make the invisible form out of clay.

Yeseul Song

Yeseul Song is a South Korean-born, NYC-based artist who uses technology, interaction, and participation as art media. Her work uncovers creative possibilities of non-visual senses through inventive sensory languages that advocate for imaginative and inclusive views of the world. Her work questions how we normally perceive, think, and interact through novel perceptual experiences. She explores and occupies non-traditional public spaces as well as institutions to challenge commonly held ideas about access and accessibility of art.

Her non-visual interactive experiences have inspired tens of thousands of people at indoor and outdoor spaces, including Clayarch Art Museum (South Korea), Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum (D.C.), Kansong Art Museum Daegu (Korea), Museum of Arts and Design (NY), Art in Odd Places (NY), and public spaces in NYC. Yeseul is an Assistant Arts Professor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Interactive Telecommunications Program & Interactive Media Arts (ITP/IMA).

More information

To avoid disappointment we recommend you book tickets for Undershed in advance online, in person at Watershed Box Office, or by calling the team on 0117 927 5100.

Your ticket gives you access for 60 minutes, so take your time exploring the artworks.

Unless otherwise stated the cost of a ticket to Undershed is as follows:

Mon - Fri before 16:00

£8.50 full / £5.00 concessions / £5.00 24 or under (plus 12% booking fee*)

Mon - Fri after 16:00 and weekends

£11.00 full / £8.50 concessions / £5.00 24 or under (plus 12% booking fee*)

*Booking fee applies to online and phone bookings only

Ticket offer

Buy a ticket for Collection 1 and Collection 2 and get 20% off. Offer is applied automatically when you book both Collections at the same time online.

Concessions

Concessions apply to Full Time Students, Job Seekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance, 66+ who have retired, Equity and BECTU members and disabled people.

Where applicable please produce proof of eligibility when collecting a ticket.

You can find out more information about Access at Undershed here. If we can do anything to make your visit to Undershed easier, please get in touch with us - just email communications@watershed.co.uk and we'll be happy to help.

Frequently asked questions

You can visit Undershed from 14:00 - 20:30 from Monday to Friday, 11:15 - 21:00 on Saturday, and 10:00 - 19:45 on Sunday. There are timed slots you can choose from throughout the day and we recommend you book in advance to avoid disappointment. To avoid any surprises, check the programme details in advance to view the specific schedule of the exhibition or event that you're interested in visiting.

Your ticket gives you access for 60 minutes. This gives you plenty of time to experience all the artworks in the Collection.

Yes, in the welcome area of the Undershed there are spaces to leave your belongings while you are inside the exhibition. A Gallery Assistant will be in this area at all times.

No - but the Café & Bar is on the first floor for refreshments before and after your visit to Undershed.

Yes - but please refrain from taking or sharing images of people without permission whilst they are participating in the work.

The Undershed Gallery Assistant is in the space to support visitor engagement with all artworks. Any earphones, VR headsets or tactile materials will be cleaned on a 90 minute rotation.

Sing The Body Electric is suitable for children aged 12 and over.

Yes. You are welcome to use any of the toilet facilities in Watershed then come back into the space.

Yes. There is a sofa in the welcome area, and seating in the exhibition space.

If you are more than 20 minutes late, you will not be allowed into the exhibition. So please arrive just before the time stated on your ticket.

Don't worry, if the artworks use unfamiliar technologies, the Gallery Assistants will always be there to help you work out what to do.

The duration of each piece varies, and you don't have to stay for the full time. Your ticket allows you access for 60 minutes, which is more than enough time to experience every artwork in the Collection, so there's no need to rush. You can return to an artwork if you like, and you don't need to experience them in a particular order.

There is a capacity of 12 for each bookable slot. We will be introducing reduced capacity slots, for people who may prefer a quieter visit, soon.

Undershed is new space for us and we're excited to welcome you to it. We know there will be things we can improve on and adapt. Please send us your thoughts and any outstanding questions you have - email us on communications@watershed.co.uk or have a chat with one of our Gallery Assistants.

Visiting Undershed for the first time

Undershed Gallery is located on the ground floor of Watershed - the entrance is to the right of the Box Office desk. If you haven't visited Watershed before, check out our Visit page for access, location and transport information.

Arrive at Undershed before the start time on your ticket. A Gallery Assistant will greet you in the welcome area, talk you through what to expect from the artworks, show you the technology, and answer any questions you may have.

When you are ready, you can move forwards through some curtains and enter the Exhibition space. Your ticket gives you access for 60 minutes, so take your time exploring the artworks.

A close up of a hand on flesh under a yellow and grey filter. — Artwork by Tony Stiles

What is Undershed?

Undershed is a new gallery for showing the best immersive and interactive artwork from all over the world. The first of its kind in Bristol and rare across the UK – this dedicated space will stage themed exhibitions that change every few months.

Undershed is a place to come together and experiment with new forms of storytelling. Come on in, keep an open mind and tell us what you think.

Sing The Body Electric Collection 1

Suitable for 12 years and over