Sainsbury Centre, Norwich – What is Truth?
I wasn’t expecting such an eclectic and interesting collection of artefacts in addition to some very thought-provoking exhibitions at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich. It’s actually a museum where you can roam around for free or choose to pay a nominal fee for the privilege of doing so – “pay if and what you want.” Robert and Lisa Sainsbury certainly knew how to collect and exhibit an exotic array of art and their “Living Area” displays many of their acquisitions collected over the years from all around the world – ranging from a number of paintings by Francis Bacon and Picasso, to sculptures by Degas, Rodin, Alberto Giacometti, Antony Gormley and Henry Moore.
The glorious mother and child sculpture by Henry Moore:-
It was Mother’s Day, so another iconic image:-
They also have a glass museum case you are invited to step into where you become the artwork. Standing in a glass box you stare back at a number of statues, photographs and paintings of different faces – the only common denominator between them is that all their eyes are on you. So as you observe them, they all stare back at you. It’s disarming and interesting.
The most interesting exhibition that they have on at the moment as part of their 2024 “What Is Truth?” Season until early August is called “In Event of Moon Disaster.” American new media artist Halsey Burgund and British digital artist Francesca Panetta have used a speech by President Nixon entitled “In Event Of Moon Disaster” that he prepared in case the mission ended in a catastrophic failure. Thankfully he never had to read this version out, but the artists have authentically reimagined an alternative history by using Artificial Intelligence and state-of-the-art deepfake technology. Played back on a vintage television like the ones that carried the moon-landing broadcast to 1960s living rooms around the world, the installation highlights the media that are used to either build or destroy trust. The reconstructed ’60’s sitting room is enticing and made me think about watching TV with my Grandparents back in the day. You can’t help but want to sit down and watch the black and white TV.
“What is Truth? is one of the most pressing questions we all face – especially in the current climate, when fake news, elaborate scams and Artificial Intelligence are overwhelming us. Deciding what is actually true in what we see, hear and read is one of the hardest challenges in our lives today and “In Event Of Moon Disaster” highlights this brilliantly. By using AI to tell an alternative history, the show brings to light how someone can indiscernibly impersonate the image and voice of those we “trust” in positions of power. It makes us think about how, if we can’t find truth in the information, individuals and institutions of our society, it shakes the foundation of our belief in our cultural edifice itself. They show how an event as influential as the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing could be manipulated, and how doubt can be cast on even the most well-known of facts. This Emmy Award-winning interactive experience is a deep dive into misinformation and conspiracy.
It remains one of the most famous conspiracy theories in the world and whilst the speech was never delivered, visitors to the Sainsbury Centre are able to experience it like never before. Despite the United States’s space race rival at the time not even raising any doubts, a YouGov poll from 2019 found 16% of the British public believe the moon landing most likely never happened.
The artists said: “By using the most advanced techniques available, creating a video using both synthetic visuals and synthetic audio (a “complete deepfake”), we aim to show where this technology is heading – and what some of the key consequences might be.”
Other exhibitions included in the “What is Truth” theme that are currently on there include:-
Liquid Gender,
Jeffrey Gibson: no simple word for time
The Camera Never Lies
Challenging images through The Incite Project and re-evaluating some of the most iconic images of the past 100 years dedicated to the impact and influence photography has had on shaping – and in some cases misdirecting – the narrative of major global events. The powerful “Tank Man” imagery is there by Stuart Franklin – the man who we all remember bravely stopping the column of T59 tanks. Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China. 4th June 1989. What happened to him?
Upstairs is an exhibition that brings together artworks from the 1960’s to present day which are responding to the climate crisis in all its complexities. The title itself is complex: “Sediment Spirit. The Activation of Art in the Anthropocene”….I didn’t really understand, but it was interesting anyway:-
They’ve got a Sculpture Park too – it was raining when we were there, so we admired the new installation from the comfort of the café. We could see a large bronze sculpture that is part human and part animal called Usagi Kannon (by Leiko Ikemura) which is dedicated to the people who died in the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. The face is crying, but the hollow skirt offers shelter and a protective shrine. Usagi is the Japanese word for rabbit or hare and Kannon in Buddhism refers to a Female Bodhisattva of Mercy – regarded as the protector of women and children.
There’s a great shop too with lots of fab jewellery and other bits and pieces!
