Goldsmiths technical expertise breathes life into Somerset House installation

Department of Computing technicians have worked on a major art piece by Turner Prize winner Tai Shani, commissioned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Somerset House.

The Spell or The Dream is a multi-faceted work combining sculpture, radio, and live gatherings presented by Somerset House Studios artist Tai Shani. At the heart is The Spell, a hand-painted blue figure slumbering in a glass casket on a stepped plinth, that Goldsmiths experts were charged with bringing to life. Nicky Donald, research technologist, worked with technician Mirko Febbo on the project with London-based fabrication studio Art & Assembly and provided the solution that brings the dreamer to life, by making it gently breathe.

Technical expertise  

Building on years of expertise working as a technician and engineer on projects including rock concerts, the Millennium Dome, West End theatre, and BBC productions, Nicky is an expert in the art of the possible – the practicalities behind realising ambitious creative ideas. Or as he says, “I don’t even count myself as a creative, I’m more into project realisation and delivery.” 

Nicky, a Goldsmiths graduate, worked on sourcing the UK-made motor that would make the figure breathe, building and testing a prototype to ensure robustness, as well as troubleshooting and preparing backups ahead of potential problems. Reliability is key when it comes to mechanisms that need to perform consistently over long periods of time, especially in outdoor conditions where they are exposed to the elements. 

Fellow graduate and mechanical sculptor Mirko Febbo then built a metal frame for the motor that emulates the expansion and contraction of lungs to make the breathing appear realistic. Using his coding knowledge, he created a sequence that causes the mechanism to mimic a sleeper’s breathing patterns.  

While traditionally supporting students in their work, the technical team’s depth of expertise and skills is also being deployed to partner with cultural concerns to help them realise their creative projects.

Monica Fong, Studio Manager at Art & Assembly, is a graduate of the MFA Fine Art programme. Monica knew that Goldsmiths had the technical expertise needed for this project from her first-hand experience of working with the technicians as a student:  

“During my time at Goldsmiths, I worked closely with the technicians in the Computing department as part of my practice research and working toward my degree show presentation. I developed a close professional relationship with the Computing technicians, and invaluable insight into how they work and the undeniable creativity and life they bring to ambitious and complex multi-disciplinary projects.”  

“When Art & Assembly was approached during the Feasibility Study stage of developing the Tai Shani commission with Somerset House, I knew Goldsmiths technical team were the right ones for the job!”