Inside Infinite Bodies: the gap between feeling and formula
II35 – Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies
Somerset House is in full festive mode, ice rink and all, and our team caught a new exhibition here this week. Called Infinite Bodies, it explores what happens when the human body works in tandem with machines and digital systems.
The exhibition centres on multi-award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor and the breadth of his collaborations, which include Radiohead, Google Arts & Culture Lab, and Industrial Light & Magic. It brings together an impressive mix of partners across visual effects, interactive design, photography, music, fashion and film. The work collectively traces the many ways movement can be translated, reinterpreted and transformed.
McGregor shows us his process. He shares the books that have influenced him and opens up his notebooks. It’s a reminder that the research and exploration stage is often just as compelling as the final outcome.
One of the installations that really resonated with us was Future Self. Created in collaboration with Random International and Max Richter, this interactive LED environment mirrors the full length of a viewer’s body and captures movement, dispersing it into a three-dimensional cube made up of over 10,000 tiny points of light.
The exhibition highlights the gap between human intuition and algorithmic logic. In this space, where bodies become data but still hold onto their unpredictability, the work truly feels alive. This echoes how we feel about working in Somerset House. Having just marked five years at Makerversity, we’re reminded how much this unique place has broadened our horizons.
This is our final Rows and Columns before Christmas, so we’re wishing all our wonderful followers a very restful break!
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