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Bonington Gallery collaborates with NTU’s D&DA on two new Art Commissions

21 Oct 2024

Design & Digital Arts building, Shakespeare Street, Nottingham.

On the occasion of the Design & Digital Arts (D&DA) building launch in November 2024, Bonington Gallery is delighted to have partnered with Nottingham School of Art & Design to develop and present two specially commissioned art installations by design practice Foxall Studio and artist Matt Woodham – both working at the forefront of their respective fields and industries, and both past exhibitors at Bonington Gallery.

Whilst distinct in approach, each commission considers the technological potential within the D&DA building; the generosity it awards to different forms of creative practice; and the dynamic collaborative ethos that drives the student and staff community. This community has been central to the realisation of both commissions, actively involved in the production of digital material that will be visible across the building and in learning from professional practitioners, recognising the endless possibilities of collaboration and engaging with new equipment & methodologies.

Taking the approach of a ‘hack-day’, Foxall Studio ran three consecutive 1-day workshops in October with 40+ undergraduate students from 9 courses in the department. Working in small groups and supported by a technical team, students channelled their individual and collective practices through a variety of technologies to rapidly produce a diverse range of digital artwork and creative content. Foxall Studio then operated as magazine editors, utilising and framing this content to produce an expansive ‘digital zine’ that will be seen displayed on screens throughout the building.

Also inspired by the dynamic encounters between people and the spaces in D&DA, and working directly with staff and students from our new MSc in Creative Technologies, Matthew Woodham’s project in room 103 creates a simulated world of interacting organisms with unexpected possibilities. Woodham has created an interactive and immersive real-time installation to generate ‘novel dynamics’, by allowing visitors to alter parameters of a reaction-diffusion system in a specially created computer programme. The audience collaboratively constructs the projections in the space, adapting the experience for the viewer. Through doing this, visitors can consider the relationship between individuals, wider communities and the space they inhabit.

The D&DA building is not open to the public, but two public tours of the commissions will be led by Bonington Gallery Director Tom Godfrey on November 12th & 14th that anyone is welcome to join.

Book: Tuesday 12 November (1pm – 2 pm)
Book: Thursday 14 November (1pm – 2pm)