Zabludowicz Collection presents an Invites exhibition by Plymouth-based artist Molly Erin McCarthy. McCarthy’s world-building practice responds to the landscape, folklore and history of Cornwall, materialising across an interactive game space, miniature dioramas and sculptural works.
Transporting her viewers into a hybrid environment – one that combines a military apocalypse bunker and a spiritual shrine – McCarthy simulates an end-of-the-world outpost. The setting of a seaside shelter – a sublime, eerie scene consisting of sandbags, breeze blocks and military khaki parachute material – allows for a layered narrative to gradually unfold in front of the viewer.
The installation extends from a newly developed interactive video game, in which the artist references reimagined landmarks and places in Cornwall and Plymouth. Drawing influence from open-world RPGs [role-playing games] such as Death Stranding and The Elder Scrolls, McCarthy conceptualises a quest involving endless exploration in a 3D rendered environment. Seated on bespoke breeze block furnishings, players navigate a virtual underground bunker, solving riddles and deciphering symbols to reveal the narrative of the artist’s world.
Working across both a physical and a digital universe, McCarthy uses world-building to intersect the mysticisms from the south-west with the techno dystopic aesthetics of the early 2000s. This unique collection of works uses geological forms, religious shrines, Celtic symbols and military power to prophesy a post-technological future.
| Duration | 12 January 2023 - 26 February 2023 |
| Times | Thursday – Sunday 12–6pm and by appointment |
| Cost | Free |
| Venue | Zabludowicz Collection |
| Address | 176 Prince of Wales Road, London, NW5 3PT |
| Contact | / info@zabludowiczcollection.com / www.zabludowiczcollection.com |