Rhisome - Guidhall School

Rhizome, the ground breaking New York arts series that fuses the cutting edges of digital technology and the visual arts, is coming to London this month for the first time - courtesy of the Barbican.

Its famous Seven on Seven events see 7 artistic luminaries paired at random with 7 of the world’s most important technological innovators. The aim is simple: to probe how technological ideas and methods can enrich the arts, and the benefits aesthetic creativity can bring to digital industries. Past shows have seen collaborations from e.g. acclaimed New York photographer Taryn Simon and the late internet activist and Reddit-godfather Aaron Swartz. Their ensuing project ImageAtlas.org, which studies how and why Google image-searches vary based on where in the world they are performed, is one of Rhizome’s most prolific innovations.

The lineup for the London series is extraordinary, featuring Turner Prize winning sculptor-turned-singer Susan Philipsz, US entrepreneurs Michelle You and Naveen Selvadurai - respective founders of Songkick and Foursquare-, and Swedish web artist Jonas Lund, whose recent communal web browser project allows people around the world to surf the internet together, in one window (WeSee In All Directions, 2013). The fruits of the participants’ 24-hour partnerships will be unveiled to an audience of art-lovers and digital industry experts between 12pm and 6pm at a day-long Barbican event on 27 October.

Rhizome’s executive director Heather Corcoran is confident that the London event will further the incredibly productive partnerships fostered by its US forbear, and we’re inclined to agree. Seven on Seven is a unique opportunity to see history being made on across numerous levels and disciplines, and an absolute must-see for that reason alone.