Enchanted Matter

Enchanted Matter: On Resonant Objects and the Life of Materials begins with enchantment as a way of paying attention to the material world. It invites curiosity and wonder, encouraging us to notice how things move, interact and transform in ways that are not always immediately visible.

From this perspective, the exhibition considers how ecosystems are connected through continuous processes of exchange. Forests, rivers, oceans and the atmosphere transport nutrients, organic matter and energy across vast distances, creating relationships in which actions in one place shape conditions elsewhere over time. Bringing together contemporary artistic practices, the exhibition explores how matter, organic, synthetic and waste, circulates through these systems, carrying traces of its origins and continuing to act long after leaving its initial context.

Rather than separating science from experience, Enchanted Matter holds them together. Drawing on philosopher Jane Bennett's concept of vibrant matter, it considers materials not as passive objects but as active participants that continue to shape the world through their movements, relationships and afterlives. Enchantment becomes a way of noticing the complexity, activity and unpredictability of ecological systems without reducing them to isolated parts. Instead, materials, objects and ecosystems are presented as interconnected, constantly shaping one another through ongoing processes of movement, resonance and exchange.

This exploration unfolds through works by Sam Brixton, Dalma Göncz, Minyue Hu, Chaeyeon Kang, Nymph Vasinee Mongkolcheep, Natasha Viosna Moody, Kinga Olah, Marina Priyomova, Ishita Sharma, Elena Shkvarkina, Morgan Tang, Nefeli Vitoraki, Olivia Webb, Issy Wilson, Yilin Wu, Elina Yumasheva, Jessie Zhuo, and Sophie De Carvalho.

Presented alongside a curated selection of visual artworks, Fifth String Fine Instruments presents a collection of playable works of art, historic and contemporary instruments that embody centuries of sustainable craftsmanship, with some having survived for hundreds of years and others destined to be played for generations to come. Highlights include a Giuseppe Pedrazzini violin (1909), an Ettore Soffriti violin (1889), an Honoré Derazey (1832), and a contemporary Carlo Constantini violin (2025), each representing a distinct chapter in the enduring tradition of instrument making. Through a live performance organised by Fifth String, these instruments shift from objects of craftsmanship into living expressions of art, foregrounding sound, resonance and the enduring life of materials.

The exhibition opens on 11 September 6 - 9 PM with a ticketed preview evening (£2), featuring two live performances by Fifth String Fine Instruments at 7 PM and 8 PM, offering visitors the opportunity to experience these remarkable instruments as living works of art. Throughout the exhibition, Enchanted Matter will be accompanied by a public programme including artist talks on 14 September and 18 September, and Resonance on 17 September 7 - 8 PM, a special evening of music led by Fifth String that celebrates the craftsmanship, histories and voices of the instruments on display.

Hosted by QloudCurated by Giada Holland and Dana GohIn collaboration with SustainLab RCAPartnered with Fifth String and the London Design Festival