Watershed announce first exhibition theme for new immersive gallery, Undershed

Watershed is excited to announce Undershed, a new immersive gallery on the ground floor of Watershed that will be a home for curated exhibitions of extraordinary work from local and international artists and makers.

Undershed will present interactive and immersive stories – using technology to actively involve the audience. 

You might step foot into a virtual world, experience soundscapes that transport you, or head out in the streets to play and explore. It will bring together work from across cinema and creative technology and it will be one of only a handful of places in the UK showcasing immersive work.

We are delighted that we have received the support of the BFI Audience Projects Fund, awarding funds from the National Lottery which will enable the gallery to open in October 2024 with an exhibition called Sing the Body Electric. 

About Sing the Body Electric
Our title references one of Walt Whitman’s early poems and has also been used for a collection of Ray Bradbury short stories, a Lana Del Ray song and even in the musical Fame. We love the way it suggests movement and energy – as Sing The Body Electric will present a series of immersive pieces that explore the body, with the body.
From the soft skin of your cheek to the photoreceptors in your eyeballs to the neurons in your brain; you are a body, constantly receptive to your environment and the beings nearby.  But you are also a mind, an imagination – and something in between.

How do we all use the bodies we live in to connect with the constantly shifting worlds around us?
With the BFI season The Art of Action celebrating the vibrant physicality of bodies on the cinema screen upstairs, Undershed will open its harbourside doors for the first time. Using the tricks of new media, each piece offers a unique and active encounter with a story - either through how you move, the way you perceive, or the questions asked of you. 
The full programme for Sing the Body Electric, and information on how to book, will be announced later on in the summer. Sign up to the newsletter to be the first to hear about updates.

Undershed’s first curator is Amy Rose, a Pervasive Media Studio resident and co-founder Anagram, an award-winning creative production studio specialising in immersive experiences and innovative non-fiction storytelling.

Amy says: “I’m beyond excited about opening the doors of Undershed in October – and inviting audiences to meet the ideas of brilliant artists who play with immersion, both home-grown and from all over the world.

“One of my aims for the space is to experiment with what interactivity and participation can mean in this new kind of gallery. Inviting audiences to step more intimately into a story can change how (and where) stories really happen – and inspire dialogue where there might otherwise be silence.

“Having been a maker of all sorts of interactive projects and films for many years, I care deeply about how comfortable people are when they walk through the door into a space full of unfamiliar things – and hope we can invite everyone in with an atmosphere of warmth, curiosity and the spirit of play.”

Undershed has been made possible thanks to multiple partners. Jo Lansdowne, Watershed’s Executive Producer, said: “We are hugely grateful to our brilliant partners at UWE Bristol, Bristol+Bath Creative R+D and MyWorld for their trust and financial support transforming Undershed into a new space for Bristol’s artists and audiences. It means such a lot that Watershed’s long standing creative technology work will now be much more available for everyone to engage with.

“And we are delighted to announce that Sing the Body Electric and other upcoming exhibitions have been enabled through the BFI Audience Projects Fund, awarding funds from the National Lottery. This support will ensure that Undershed’s programme is ambitious in its breadth and depth as we seek to develop film culture for the future, bringing new audiences of all backgrounds to immersive work.”

Undershed will open in October - sign up to the Watershed mailing list to join the Undershed newsletter to hear about the launch programme and how to book tickets.