UVA: Synchronicity Review

Audio-visual immersive art is having its moment in the, ahem, spotlight, right now. Often billed as an antidote to the toxicity of social media (arguably a diluted form of audio-visual immersive media itself), curators and artists alike challenge us to be present in the material world and to experience art in three dimensions. The irony that this physical, tangible work is often enjoyed and spread through the virtual media of Tik-Tok and Instagram, is not lost on the curators of these spectacular installations, with some artworks seemingly conceptualised entirely around their Instagrammability.

The high contrast silhouette imagery which adorns the marketing material for these installations invites would-be viewers to recreate this very imagery with themselves at the centre; experiential art turned performative participation.

Complex computational programming and pin-point calibration brings to life UVA Synchronicity’s exhibition at 180 Strand, which, contrastingly, recalls the random chaos of the universe. This is by design; the collective state their interest in the 'human impulse to find structure and order in an otherwise chaotic universe'. So, in harnessing structure and order, they can simulate the randomness of nature … a confusing construct.

The best artworks in this collection are those that interact with the brutalist, labyrinthine architecture of the venue. The rough concrete surfaces are brought to life by the light at the centrepiece of each artwork.

‘Our Time’ is a particularly successful example; pendulums swing to and fro, speeding up and slowing down to an impossible pace - seemingly untethered by gravity. As they swing, the pendulums emit cones of light which illuminate the brutalist concrete interior and the people within it, their shadows changing continuously depending on the speed of the pendulum and the number of people in the space. The only criticism is of the space itself, which forms a somewhat narrow corridor that pressures visitors to rush through to the next exhibit.

‘Edge of Chaos’ takes the form of a double articulated pendulum, spinning on a horizontal plane, again emitting a strobing light which illuminates the foreboding interior. In this installation the spectators are literally put under the spotlight as the pendulum arm swings round and illuminates our gawking faces as we stand around the edge of the edge of chaos. 

‘Our Time’ and ‘Edge of Chaos’ both fit the brief of the exhibition by successfully capturing the randomness of the universe, though many of the other artworks feel too static, or rest too heavily on the machined perfection of the technology being used.

It is the machine precision of this exhibition in particular which diminishes the humanity of the experience. Many of the pieces feel so polished and so refined that they almost lose the experimental effervescence that emanates from other immersive audio-visual art. UVA's work 'investigates the nature of perception and cognition' but perception is messy, and cognition is far from perfect. The beauty in what we perceive around us is in the imperfection, the blurred edges and the incomplete, because it reminds us that we too are imperfect and incomplete, and with that comes the revitalising opportunity for change and for improvement.

It's not just the high-spec nature of the installations that give a sense of sterility, however, but the way in which the pieces are meant to be enjoyed. With its striking visuals and clear Instagramability, is it any wonder that exhibitions of this sort are starting to feel increasingly crowded? Unless viewing at an off-peak time during the week, you'll likely find yourself forming an orderly queue behind each artwork, patiently waiting to briefly experience the experiential, before politely moving on. I know it's too much to ask to get the exhibition to myself for an hour, but perhaps therein lies the challenge? Instead of isolationist pieces of art to be experienced by the individual, how exciting and refreshing it would be to see an exhibition that is brought to life only when strangers come together, collaborate and interact with each other.

UVA Synchronicity is an undeniably beautiful and visually stunning exhibition, and the artworks themselves have been put together with the utmost care and attention to detail. But I’m not certain if it truly lives up to that idea of presenting the ‘human impulse to find structure and order in an otherwise chaotic universe'. Instead, it feels like the bright lights serve as a glimmering and superficial distraction from that chaos.

See the exhibition for yourself before it closes on the 17th of March at 180 Studios, 180 The Strand, London WC2R 1EA.

By Rob Waters