Shared Language I, 2021
Aphra Shemza, Stuart Batchelor & Peter Todd in collaboration with the public
Materials: Interactive digital painting application and real-time animation
Dimensions: Variable
Shared Language I is an interactive digital artwork that invites visitors to become active participants in the creative process. Inspired by the work of her grandfather, the British-Pakistani artist Anwar Jalal Shemza, Aphra Shemza collaborated with Stuart Batchelor and Peter Todd to develop a bespoke digital painting application that enables audiences to create their own geometric compositions.
In 1962, Anwar Jalal Shemza wrote, “One circle, one square, one problem, one lifetime is not enough to solve it.” Building on his lifelong exploration of geometric forms and their capacity to express the interconnectedness of all things, visitors use their mobile phones to create digital paintings inspired by his visual language. Each contribution is immediately incorporated into a live animation displayed as a large-scale projection or on a digital screen.
By giving every participant the opportunity to see their own artwork exhibited on the gallery wall, Shared Language I challenges traditional boundaries between artist and audience, democratising the gallery space and celebrating creativity as something accessible to everyone.