Within the Turbine Hall, the vast post-industrial area at the heart of Tate Modern, artist Anicka Yi gives a vision of a future environment.
The hall was built to store electricity-generating gear when it was part of the Bankside Power Station. Yi’s installation re-inhabits the room with machines. Her machines, known as aerobes, float through the air and are inspired by ocean life and mushrooms. They reimagine artificial intelligence and challenge us to consider new ways that machines might interact with the world. Yi has also designed one-of-a-kind scent scapes that change weekly, each with a smell associated with a certain period in Bankside’s history.
Yi is well-known for her research at the intersection of technology and biology. She challenges us to think about how we as humans and the ecosystems we live in may be better understood by breaking down distinctions between plants, animals, microorganisms, and technologies.
