Worlds Apart | Aristotle Roufanis at 87 Gallery

87 Gallery is excited to bring an immersive new media exhibition entitled ‘Worlds Apart’ by artist Aristotle Roufanis to Hull. Located on Princes Avenue, the gallery encourages local residents and visitors from further afield to come and see the work, which will be on display Thursday to Saturday from 15 January – 26 March, 2022.

Aristotle Roufanis was commissioned to create the immersive installation, which relies heavily on his knowledge of emergent digital processes and engineering. Visitors will enjoy seeing the installation respond to aspects of real time, such as daily weather conditions and news headlines, making each day of the exhibition a unique experience.

The late politician Jo Cox once said that “loneliness doesn’t discriminate”. We all feel lonely once in a while. However, loneliness is so subjective, that we can find it difficult to relate to another person’s experience.

In his ongoing project Worlds Apart, visual artist Aristotle Roufanis uses video installation to address issues around social isolation. The work seeks to evoke a visceral response in the viewer, to spark moments of empathy, curiosity, awareness, or even uneasiness.

Using advanced technology and new media, the installation consists of an asymmetrical grid of video screens of different sizes. Each screen shows computer-generated footage of a glass tank situated on an isolated coastline, surrounded by water and uninhabited land. The tank contains a typical living room with a single armchair facing a television screen and empty boxes on the floor. The setting feels familiar, it is simultaneously welcoming and disturbing. Loneliness affects more than 9 million people in the UK alone. The contrast between the awe-inspiring landscape and the unsettling room inside the tank attempts to capture what this condition feels like.