Sing The Body Electric Collection 2

Sing The Body Electric

Immersive Exhibition

Fri 29 Nov - Sun 22 Dec

Undershed, Watershed

Slots run for 60 mins and are available:

Mon‑Fri 14:00‑20:30
Sat 11:15‑21:00
Sun 10:00‑19:45

The second collection from the Sing The Body Electric Exhibition at Undershed explores what lies just beyond the edge of our perception and is revealed through unusual ways of encountering a story.

Detect the sound of the space between you and another person, come close to a wildly different world of colour, or explore the memories of someone whose story goes unheard.

With an explosion of colour throughout the space, these three artworks invite you to step outside your usual ways of perceiving the world - and see the invisible.

A rowing boat full of passengers nears a small desert island. The colours are fluorescent

The Island of the Colorblind

Installation
Multi-sensory

In the late 18th century, a catastrophic typhoon swept over Pingelap, a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean. One of the survivors, the king, carried the rare achromatopsia gene that causes complete colorblindness. The king went on to have many children and as time passed by, most islanders started seeing the world in black and white. Achromatopsia is characterised by extreme light sensitivity, poor vision, and the complete inability to distinguish colours.

Originally a collection of photographs in a book – in this interactive installation, you are invited to enter a dreamlike world of colourful possibilities – and to rethink colour-vision and our shared perceptions of the environments we live in.

You enter a room, and find the four walls are covered in photographs of the Micronesian island. The space is lit by coloured light. You are invited to sit down at a table with a set of headphones, paint, water, printed pictures and brushes. As you listen to a voice guiding you through the painting process, a story unfolds, blending memory and myth, of the colourblind community of Pingelap.

On the outside of the room, the walls become slowly adorned with paintings created by you and the other audience members - who have painted with no sense of the colours used in a room lit by coloured light.

Sanne De Wilde

A visual artist working with the medium of photography, film, installation and painting, creating long term work on genetics, identity and perception while experimenting with collaborative approaches in storytelling.

She was awarded the Nikon Press Award in 2014 and 2016 for most promising young photographer. The British Journal of Photography selected De Wilde as one of 'the best emerging talents from around the world' in 2014 and she received the Firecracker Grant, PHmuseum Women's Grant and de Zilveren Camera award for 'The Island of the Colorblind’ in 2016. ‘Land of Ibeji’, her recent project with Bénédicte Kurzen, won a World Press Photo Award, the Rovinj Photo Award, Liangzhou Award, CAP Prize, Prix Voies OFF and was nominated for the ZEISS photography award in 2019.

Her work has been internationally published (The Guardian, New Yorker, Le Monde, CNN, Vogue) and exhibited (Rencontres d’Arles, Voies OFF, Tribeca Film Festival, Circulations, Lagos Photo, Lodz Fotofestiwal, IDFA, STAM).

A large, brightly coloured computer sits on a brightly coloured desk. In the background, a wall is painted in bold, bright gemoetric shapes.

Archive of an Unseen

Installation
Multi-sensory

This work contains themes of domestic violence and outdated or offensive language about race and disability.

The Archive of An Unseen tells the story of Christopher Samuel’s childhood, growing up as a Black, disabled, working class child from a single parent household in the 1980s and 1990s.

Addressing the imbalance of representation in medical and social archives and questioning the way in which stories are held and told – this piece offers a deeper understanding of the wider spectrum of human experience.

Looking like a cross between a brightly coloured video arcade machine and an archival Microform reader – you are invited to explore a digital archive of the artist’s life.

From before his diagnosis at age seven, being registered as disabled at age 14, through to leaving high school – as you make your way through photographs, medical documents, videos, audio clips and archival items, you build an in-depth narrative of a complex life from fragments of memory.

Christopher Samuel

A multi-disciplinary artist whose practice is rooted in identity and disability politics, often echoing the many facets of his own lived experience. His work tells stories, often raising awareness of his experiences as a black disabled artist, missing representation within archives, and shared narratives from others in similar circumstances. This includes detailed ink drawings, film, printing, research, and large installation-based work.

Two Subtle Bodies (2022) by Yeseul Song. Photo courtesy of Leeum Samsung Museum of Art

Two Subtle Bodies (귀를 기울이면)

Installation

Two Subtle Bodies (귀를 기울이면, 2022) is an interactive sound experience exploring the invisible space between people.

The ‘subtle body’ is a concept that appears in Taoism and Dharmic religions and describes an idea of the body that includes physical sensation, the mind, memories and the unconscious – and extends out beyond the boundaries of your skin. In neuroscience, the space surrounding your body is called “peripersonal space”.

This artwork invites you to explore that complex sense of your own body - and what might be in the air between you and another person.

Together with another person, you are invited to put on a custom-made iridescent cloak and a pair of bone conduction headphones before entering an empty space. As your two bodies move around – from far apart to right up close – you generate and discover sounds that correspond dynamically and in real time to your movement.

By perceiving this soft and fluid space, Two Subtle Bodies invites you to unlock new ways of connecting with each other. Imagine you can hear a stranger’s subtle body through sound - will it bring you closer?

Yeseul Song

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 has 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 2

Suitable for 12 years and over