Travel into the Earth in a new immersive experience at The Williamson
A new exhibition opening at Birkenhead’s Williamson Art Gallery & Museum invites visitors into an hypnotic audiovisual experience.
Subterranean Elevator has been conceived by artist Di Mainstone and developed with a team of inter-disciplinary specialists. The installation invites intrepid visitors to explore the inner worlds of soil and the subconscious mind. On entering a dark, elevator-shaped environment, they will feel a soft earth-like substance beneath their feet, where they can stand, sit, or nestle. As the elevator commences its ‘descent’, subterranean tourists will experience mesmerising sounds and projected visuals, creating the sensation of sinking deep into the earth.
Artist Di Mainstone, said:
This work explores interior worlds of soil and the subconscious mind. With a smattering of Folk Horror mixed with audiovisual mesmerism, the experience of drifting past horizons of the soil invites us to delve our hands into the depths and reconnect with Mother Earth.
Mainstone has coined the term ‘Subnosis’ to describe this hypnotic journey, in which surreal subterranean creatures flourish amongst fleeting thoughts, tickled by roots and intersected by neural pathways that lead us into an interior universe. In this place of collective contemplation, we are invited to remember our connection to all living and nonliving things here on our precious planet.
The artwork aims to deepen our understanding of biodiversity loss and engage with the emotional landscape of the climate emergency.
Other commissions by the artist include award-winning climate inspired film ‘Time Bascule’, celebrating the 125th anniversary of the London Tower Bridge; ‘Human Harp’, a digital musical device that transforms suspension bridges into giant harps that people can play; and ‘Time Mirror’, an interactive giant kaleidoscope that was originally installed overlooking Lake Windermere and is now based at Grizedale Sculpture Park.
The artist’s work has been exhibited at museums, festivals and institutions around the world, including the Design Museum, The Barbican, The Royal Institute of British Architects, The V&A, Sage Gateshead, Tower Bridge, The National Portrait Gallery, Cannes Film Festival, Eyebeam NYC and the Swedish National Touring Theatre.
The project is a commission by Wirral Borough of Culture 2024 and will be open for visitors to experience at Williamson Art Gallery from 14th February – 20th December 2025.
