From Somerset House’s Makerversity comes MV Works, an experimental exhibition and programme of events unpacking artists’ creative journey in a digital age, regardless of the form their practise takes.

The four day event, which features exhibitions, workshops, conversations and live demos, kicks off this week on 9th June.

We spoke to Ursula Davies, managing director of Makerversity, and Estela Oliva, curator of the programme, about what’s in store across the long weekend.

Run Riot: How does the MV Works programme fit into the wider remit of Makerversity?

Ursula Davies: Makerversity exists to support makers. We currently do that through providing space and making facilities and convening great communities of people. Running a more formal support programme has been something we’ve wanted to do for a long time, so in many ways MV Works feels like a natural extension to our day to day business and we’re planning to continue with the programme in some way beyond this first one.

Also everyone on MV Works is developing projects where the making aspect is very interesting and often very challenging technically - so obviously given what we do it’s amazing to have that kind of work happening in our space.

RR: What has surprised you the most about the how the programme has progressed?

UD: That’s a tough one. We’ve approached it as an experiment all the way along, so you’re kind of expecting surprises in a way with that mindset. Perhaps one thing that I’m continually surprised and delighted by is the sheer complexity of the making process behind everyone’s projects and the strength of their commitment to developing very specific tools and techniques that allow them to make the work they want to.

RR: What do you want visitors to the showcase to come away thinking?

UD: That the labels of design, art, tech and making shouldn’t define how you see yourself or where your work could be successful. We also want to provide a challenge to people to really think about what sustainable practice means and the financial aspect of that too.

Above all, respect and excitement for the bravery, imagination and technical capabilities of participants - they’re doing stuff that’s at the boundaries of what’s possible and that’s really, really hard work.

Makerversity: Factory on Thames from Makerversity on Vimeo.

RR: Hi Estela, what’s your background?

Estela Oliva: I am a creative director and curator working across art, technology and design. My background is in digital for the commercial and creative sectors. I worked at Google in the early years for about 6 years.

After that, I launched a cultural project called Alpha-ville with Carmen Salas, which started as a festival of art, technology and digital culture in London and then has evolved as an agency and creative studio. In my practice, I keep a good mix of commercial and cultural projects. I develop concepts, curate and creative direct exhibitions, and event. I also produce experimental digital projects both for online or live environments.

Lawrence Lek

Aside from that, I also work as a digital consultant for start-ups, public sector or commercial clients. Keeping this mix keeps me going and growing.

RR: How did you come to be curating the MVWorks showcase?

EO: I have been working as a mentor for Lawrence Lek, who is one of the participants of MV Works programme. Through that I met Ursula Davies (programme director) and the amazing Makerversity team. They’ve invited me to creatively direct and curate the showcase, developing the concept and the common themes between participants as well as designing the exhibition and programme of events. It has been a challenging experience but also very rewarding.

RR: What have been your aims with the showcase? What do you want it to achieve?

EO: I am interested in decoding the creative journey of the MV Works participants: understanding what are the common drivers, models, challenges, motivations, emotions, of their creative process. I see the creative process as a journey, not just for this standalone project, it forms part of the participants career and life path. Hence the name of the showcase is Into the Wild, Decoding the Creative Journey. Creativity is wild and there are no set rules. I would like the participants to understand better their practice and gain valuable insights from each other, maybe to help them move forward in different ways and evolve as creative businesses. I think this deconstruction can be beneficial to help any creative practitioner understand where we are at today and how we can think of tomorrow.

The showcase takes form as an open format exhibition at the beautifully derelict River Rooms of Somerset House along with parallel events. I am very excited about the mix of speakers and the conversations they will have. I am also planning to make a documentary film that will be released online after the event. Through the showcase and the events, my aim is for people to discover, experiment and get inspired to unlock their creativity. I also hope that the reflections outlined throughout the journey will deepen their personal practices and motivate entrepreneurial spirits.

RR: As someone working at the junction between technology and the arts, what MVWorks projects are particularly excited about showing?

EO: I am really excited about the eclectic amalgam of projects. There is a good mix of design, making and art projects, from the future of footwear to new ways of storytelling with apps for the youngest, the showcase features a very inspiring cocktail of talent.

From an artistic perspective, I am especially interested in Lawrence Lek’s new work Europa Mon Amour. It imagines a post-apocalyptic world based in the Dalston landscape and referencing the upcoming EU referendum. It raises all kinds of personal questions about which reality we really live in and the importance of artists to open people’s eyes. Lawrence represents a new generation of artists who work as polymaths and are self-sufficient, and have a distinctive approach. I find this mix of art and entrepreneurship very interesting and current nowadays.

Harry Sanderson

Another highlight for me is the work of Matthew Plummer-Fernandez: Shiv Integer. He is using bots to create new forms of art, while challenging the conventions of ownership, authorship and distribution of artwork. Finally Harry Sanderson’s work has also caught my attention, I actually didn’t know him before, while I’ve previously worked with both Lawrence and Matthew. What attracts me about Harry’s work is the capability to transform technology (code) into a stunning material experience (a sculpture and image) that speaks to me so much about the state of technology in our culture and how we might not see the implications unless we point at this technology with ‘light’ (critical thinking).

RR: There is a parallel programme of events, can you tell us more about it?

EO: Along with the showcase there are a series of events: conversations, live demos and workshops. All happening for free at the events area. The conversations address very important topics for me which keep appearing across fields.

On Friday some of the creatives decode their practice and tell us their stories. I am thrilled to have Keiichi Matsuda speaking about his new film Hyper-Reality. Following the talks Friday evening we open late to present 3 cutting edge demos, On Saturday the conversations move to broader topics, including diversity, art commissioning and value of collaborating with brands. Two workshops will also be held in the space, one for kids and another one for artists and makers to create music prototypes.

RR: Conventionally, there’s been a perceived distinction between the ‘tech brain’ and the ‘creative/artistic brain’ – do you think this has always been a misconception, or have we evolved beyond such oppositions?

EO: We live in a world where conventions don’t really make sense anymore. We are discovering that the limits of creativity don’t really exist. We are even challenging the notion of creativity, by programming machines to be creatives, think artificial intelligence, so why would we fix ourselves to just a part of our brains? We should think expansively and not restrictively. If I think of the near future, I believe there is even going to be more cross-over between all the disciplines: art, design, science, leading to new areas we can’t even imagine. This to me is an interesting space for any human being.

Makerversity: MV Works- Into The Wild takes place at Somerset House, WC2R, across four days, from Thursday 9th June to Sunday 12th June, from 6pm on Friday. Full details here, and more information on Makerversity here. Estela Oliva’s website is here and you can tweet her at @es_stela. You can tweet Ursula Davies at @ursula_davies.