It's about to get reel in Coventry
13 May 2022
The UK's first permanent immersive digital art gallery: The Reel Store
The Reel Store opens today with a UK first, Machine Memoirs: Space, by internationally acclaimed artist Refik Anadol. Two million images of the deepest regions of outer space, captured by NASA and the International Space Station, have been transformed through AI into an immersive cinematic experience of rich and futuristic visuals accompanied by 3D audio.
The Reel Store is the UK’s first permanent immersive digital art gallery. Following on from the huge popularity of immersive art spaces around the world, the gallery, in the centre of Coventry, features innovative experiential contemporary commissions and will be a prominent feature of the Coventry UK City of Culture programme in Summer 2022 and its legacy.
Create Central Member Mark Hughes-Webb was lucky enough to be invited to attend the launch event along with other Create Central Members this week, he said “The Reel Store launch was fantastic – such a unique immersive experience for the UK and one which fires up the imagination and really showcases art, technology and creativity. Refik Anadol’s ‘Machine Memoirs:Space’ is an amazingly innovative way of looking at data and imagery and will no doubt inspire the next generation. That Coventry has delivered this as a permanent attraction as a legacy of its year as City of Culture is a fitting tribute to all those who have supported the city’s ambition and helped changed its media perception. The Reel Store will only enhance that reputation and in turning “paper into pixels”, it most definitely puts Coventry on the map as a centre for future-facing creativity for the long-term.”
Housed in the old reel store at the former home of the Coventry Evening Telegraph newspaper, a space that once held the rolls of paper that the city’s stories were printed on is getting ready to host world renowned artists at a whole new scale.
Artist Refik Anadol is a pioneer in the aesthetics of data and machine intelligence, using cutting-edge technology and big data advancements to creatively speak to the most pressing challenges of our time, and what it means to be a human in the age of machines.
His work has been shown in over 50 cities, spanning six continents, and experienced by millions of fans. In 2021 alone work has been exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach, COP26 in Glasgow, ARTECHOUSE in New York, Abu Dhabi, China, Japan and South Korea, as well as major cities across Europe including Istanbul, Milan and Venice … and now Coventry proudly joins that list.
This truly is for everyone. Expect a 360-degree experience, suitable for the whole family, with an awe-inspiring display that captures the beauty and spectacle of space in waves of colour and light.
Whether you have an interest in space, are looking to have fun with friends, or want to grab the most instagrammable pictures in the galaxy, this is an exhibition not to be missed.
Tickets are available from £5. Find out more and book your tickets at thereelstore.co.uk. You can follow The Reel Store @TheReelStoreUK.