“Voyagers” is a permanent audio video installation by The Light Surgeons for the National Maritime Museum’s new Sammy Ofer Wing. The Voyagers Gallery acts as an introduction to the extraordinary depth and range of the Museum’s collections and is dominated by a 20 metre wave-like structure that stretches the full length of the room. Designed by exhibition designers Real Studio, this 3D wave is made up of 26 triangular facets and features a Pufferfish spherical projector at one end.

Using the triangular shape as a design template The Light Surgeons researched and meta tagged over 300 images and films from the Museum’s vast archives and translated them into a series of thematic visual journeys that unfold down the wave. As these designs cascade down the room, the globe projection displays thematic key words relating to each asset in the journey onto a digital navigational device inspired by the museums collection of armillary spheres.

For this technically complex project The Light Surgeons collaborated with media artist James George from New York studio Flightphase to translate their concepts into code based design. The resulting bespoke software was built using open source coding platform openFrameworks and lead to many new ground breaking developments; allowing the design of the installation to be explored in a simulated environment before the gallery was built and then to seamlessly video map the complex geometry of the wave structure upon its arrival. This collaboration also lead to many exciting developments in the creative process including the creation of a totally generative sea of typography and its interaction with the movement of the spherical Puffersphere design.

The resulting experience is a truly immersive one that takes its audience on a audio visual journey through a multitude of different themes explored by the museums collections.

The programme has been developed to showcase objects from the Crafts Council Collection – CraftCube: Collection – and to champion the work of Research Fellows that are at the cutting edge of contemporary practice – CraftCube: Research. Each CraftCube is an individual display environment, including objects and interpretation.

GRAY TWISTED LOOP: MERETE RASMUSSEN

The film features a set of two synchronized short films which reveal the ceramic processes involved in the creation of the piece entitled “Twisted Grey Loop”. Put together by The Light Surgeons they form the audio visual content produced for the Craft Council’s set of touring installations, know as The CraftCube initiative.

In this instant, the film on the top was projected onto a large projection surface on the wall of the CraftCube, while the film on the bottom was presented through large plasma screen embedded into the surface of a display case, which also houses the finished object its self.

NAP: ANGELA JARMAN

The film features a set of two synchronized short films which together protrait the processes involved in the creation of a piece of her worked entitled “NAP”. Put together by The Light Surgeons they form the audio visual content produced for the Craft Council’s set of touring installations, know as The CraftCube initiative.

The film on the top was projected onto a large projection surface on the wall of the CraftCube, while the film on the bottom was presented through large plasma screen embedded into the surface of a display case, which also houses the finished object itself.

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Director and editor: Tim Cowie
Camera: Dave Baum
Producer: Alice Ceresole
Design and build of cube: Millimetre

Collecting a Kaleidoscope is an exhibition of 20 objects from the Crafts Council Collection selected by Ralph Turner, renowned curator, writer and former Head of Exhibitions at the Crafts Council from 1979-1989. Ralph Turner’s love of craft started during a childhood in a Welsh coal-mining town where hand-making was a necessary part of everyday life. He believes craft offers a timely antidote to our current global culture.

Through his very personal selection from a public collection we are offered an insight to the diverse and unique nature of contemporary craft and the breadth and depth of an exceptional public collection. The Light Surgeons interviewed Ralph Turner and filmed a selection of his own personal objects to produce the film accompanying the exhibition.

Directed by Martin Banks
Produced by Annie Kwan

ADAM PAXTON

GRAINNE MORTON

MAH RANA

NORA FOK

SUSAN CROSS

YOKO IZAWA

Directed by Tim Cowie & Matin Banks
Produced by Annie Kwan

In December 2006 The Light Surgeons produced and curated a cross-disciplinary art exhibition on the south bank that was commissioned by Nokia Nseries. Articulated was a group show that brought together a cross section of artists from different practices and organizations to transform London’s OXO Barge House with a series of multimedia installations, a cinema space, talks and creative interventions into the surrounding area.

Articulated explored our relationship to space with a collection of commissioned and curated works that engaged with the public through interviews and debate. Each of these works investigated the human condition through the real or imagined boundaries of our everyday lives.

It was a truly unique collaboration which explored the thresholds between public and private space, unraveling a multitude of human stories from London’s cultural metropolis.

ARTICULATED

Exhibition Signage: Millimetre

OBJECTS OF NO FIXED ABODE

Mixed media installation: Pete Codling

I’VE BEEN PLACES I’VE NEVER VISITED

Director: Russel Harris

Live Performance piece which took place in and around the Barge House and along the Southbank.

TRANSIT

Mixed media installation: Christopher Thomas Allen

PROTOCOL

Photographic & Video Installation

Featuring Photography by Chris Allen, Alice Ceresole, Lenka Clayton, Paul O’Connor, Brede Korsmo & James Price
Video Installation By Bilal Main

SINGLE STORY BUILDING

Interactive installation: Blast Theory, created in 2002.

TRUE COLD

Video installation: Blast Theory, created in 2002.

HOMAGE TO THE LOST

Video installation: Brede Korsmo

CITY FOR GRANTED

Video Installation: Tim Cowie

Interviews and field Recordings by Chris Allen, Brede Korsmo, Annie Kwan, James Price & Rob Rainbow
Photography by Chris Allen, Brede Korsmo, Annie Kwan, James Price & Rob Rainbow

CONVERSATION

Video installation: James Price & Lenka Clayton

This installation has also been edited as a film and has toured extensively appearing at international festivals including:
Britdoc, Oxford, July 2007
Hotdocs, Toronto, Canada. PDX, Portland, Oregon, USA, April 2008
Iranian International Documentary Festival, Tehran, October 2008
FLEXfest, Gainsville, Florida, USA, 2009

DIALOG

Mixed media installation: Christopher Thomas Allen

This installation continues to tour art exhibitions internationally:

Out Side The Box, Cornerhouse Gallery, Manchester, England, 2007
Media_City Seoul 2008 – the 5th International Media Art Biennale, Seoul, South Korea, 2008
Biennale Cuvee 09, A World Selection Of Contemporary Art, Linz, Austria, 2009

DEBATE

Mixed media installation: Christopher Thomas Allen & James Price

FROM CEREALS COME CIVILISATION

Video installation: Robert Rainbow

FOOD FOR LIVING THINGS

Mixed media installation: Robert Rainbow

CERBERES

Photographic installation: Marion Lefebvre

ARTICULATED LOUNGE

On the top floor of the exhibition there was an interactive lounge space and cinema curated by onedotzero festival. This contained interactive terminals with archive material supplied by the British Film Institute, sound installations by audio artist Scanner, a program of short films shown in a cinema space with additional screening programs from Halloween Society and a series of talks by guest speakers including the writer Ian Sinclair.

Concept: Christopher Thomas Allen, Robert Pyecroft-Rainbow & Annie Kwan
Curator: Christopher Thomas Allen
Producer: Annie Kwan

Domestic Archaeology was a cross-media art project created by The Light Surgeons that was exhibited at the Geffrye Museum in East London in 2006. The work on show was developed through a process of audio-visual journalism that explores the issues surrounding identity through the study of Londoners and their rich mixture of living spaces.

The project excavated personal stories, memories, objects and meanings that were re-assembled as multimedia installations, offering a reflection on the changing condition of domestic space as well as our more psychological boundaries associated with them.

This exhibition has been documented as a limited addition dual layer DVD, including a set of six postcards of artwork from the exhibition. Currently available from Magma books and the BFI store South Bank, London.

Collaborating Artists: Christopher Thomas Allen, Brede Korsmo, Robert Pyecroft-Rainbow & Tim Cowie
Original Concept: Christopher Thomas Allen & Robert Pyecroft-Rainbow
Production Director: Christopher Thomas Allen
Producer & research: Annie Kwan
Production Assistant: Rouzbeh Nafarieh
Animation: Tim Cowie
Exhibition Design: Millimetre
Concrete Wallpaper: Eric Barret
Workshops: Counterproductions
Smells: The Aroma Company
Print Artwork: IGMA & C3
Website design: Philip O’Dwyer

London Loves Laforet presented a snapshot of London life as seen through the eyes of 10 of the brightest new stars on the London scene. A mixture of young designers, architects, club promoters, stylists, models and artists, came together to present their own particular style, and give us a glimpse into their personal and distinctive view of London life.

Each person was represented by a life-size doll, packaged like a Barbie Doll, and dressed by themselves in their own selected clothing. Their lifestyle was presented through the packaging – with accessories as well as personal information about them, detailing their favourite things and places.

A TV monitor incorporated into the packaging played a series of commissioned video portraits which reveal more about their likes, loves and humour.

BILLY BILLINGHAM

CLAUDINE SPITERI

JIMMY BULB

Produced and Directed by James Price
Curated by Scarlet Projects