Vaughan Pilikian's Winter Lights 2020 Installation Creates Tense, Confusing Visitor Experience

Vaughan Pilikian's installation 'Exhibit 25' at Winter Lights 2020 created a disorienting experience for visitors in London's Canary Wharf underground station shopping arcades. The work was presented in a sealed shop unit between a healthfood outlet and supermarket, featuring a metallic-covered glass frontage that reflected waiting crowds. Inside, visitors encountered a chilly breezeblock antechamber with black-curtained exits, where stewards hurried them through with strict instructions. The main room contained plastic domes covered in filaments that pulsed with colors including hot pink, lime green, rancid purple, and unearthly gold. Two larger domes featured waist-high antennae that visitors were instructed to hover their hands above without touching. Stewards barked orders, allowing only two minutes in the sanctum and approximately thirty seconds for photography. The experience left children upset and adults confused, with visitors exchanging glances that acknowledged a temporary solidarity. According to the exhibition placard, the work explored play's role in creating social bonds and how technology shapes ideas of public space and interaction. The online exclusive was published on 29 January 2020 by ArtReview.