Mat Collishaw: THRESHOLDS

This autumn, Lacock Abbey, in collaboration with Blain|Southern gallery, is proud to present Thresholds, a new virtual reality artwork by internationally acclaimed artist Mat Collishaw.

Visit Thresholds and encounter an exhibition like never before, stepping back in time to one of the earliest exhibitions of photography in 1839. 

You will be able to walk freely throughout a digitally reconstructed room, and touch the bespoke vitrines, fixtures and mouldings; even the heat from a coal fire is recreated. A soundscape for Thresholds includes the sound of demonstrations of the Chartist protesters who rioted in 1839 on the streets of Birmingham, and can be glimpsed through the digital windows.

The original 19th-century exhibition, staged by the British Association for the Advancement of Science, celebrated cutting edge technological innovation. Unfortunately, Fox Talbot’s original images have faded almost beyond recognition with several of the surviving photographs existing only in light-proof vaults.  Through Thresholds, this exhibition not only restages an important historical exhibition but provides a way to view images that have since been lost.

Mat Collishaw is one of the UK’s most thought provoking contemporary artists, and the installation will be in place for you to visit from Saturday 16 September – Sunday 29 October 2017.  Tickets will be available to book in early July.