Shared Language II, 2022
Aphra Shemza, Stuart Batchelor and Peter Todd in collaboration with the public
Materials: Interactive collaborative digital painting application and live projection
Dimensions: Variable
Shared Language II is an interactive digital artwork that invites visitors to create collaborative paintings using a bespoke application developed by Aphra Shemza, Stuart Batchelor and Peter Todd. Accessed via QR code or iPad, participants can contribute individually or work together to create evolving geometric compositions inspired by the visual language of Anwar Jalal Shemza.
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, Shared Language II transforms geometry into a means of communication and collective expression. Participants contribute to a shared composition, combining their individual creative decisions to produce something greater than any one contribution.
Once complete, each painting is added to a growing digital archive and replayed as a continuously evolving animation projected within the gallery. Shifting between live creation and archived compositions, Shared Language II explores collaboration, interconnectedness and collective authorship, celebrating the possibilities that emerge when creativity becomes a shared experience.