180 Studios presents REVERB

REVERB is 180 Studios latest immersive exhibition in collaboration with The Vinyl Factory.

Featuring audio visual installations and sonic experiences, it bridges the gap between sound and art with work from artists including Es Devlin, Kahlil Joseph, Caterina Barbieri and many more.

A truly multimedia experience, it features films and documentaries, coupled with installations that transform to host live performances and talks that sit alongside the exhibition.

The exhibition is spread through various dimly lit interweaving rooms. Music from one room bleeds into another, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the experience.

Highlights include Virgil Abloh’s ’12-Inch Voices’, an enormous, pink, spiky foam sound system playing a track by Jazz musician Yussef Dayes on loop. Undeniably striking, the impact of the installation hits you as soon as you enter the room. As you approach different speakers on the sound system, a different version of the track is experienced. Speakers closer to the ground provide a more bass heavy sound, compared to speakers towards the top.

Stan Douglas’s ‘ISDN’ was another highlight.

A large two channel, video installation with two rappers from London on one screen and two rappers from Cairo on the other. Viewers stand in the centre of the darkened room and watch the conversation unfold between the two. Both play simultaneously, turn to the left and watch the musicians from London perform or turn to your right and watch the musicians from Cairo react to their words.

Another memorable piece was ‘Screenshare’ by Es Devlin, where a film created by the artist is projected onto a collage of drawings from her sketchbooks. After watching the film visitors are invited to tear a page from the screen to take away with them.

Bringing together 100 artists and musicians, the exhibit is extensive and you can easily spend a good couple of hours here. Personally I would have liked to have seen fewer films. Some of these pieces feel like a big commitment to sit down and watch, particularly if you happen to enter the room just as the film is finishing. I found that other pieces felt more interactive and engaging, however these pieces outweighed some of the lengthier films.

A must see for any music lover, this exhibition showcases the influence music has on art and social movements.