This VR Allegory of a contemporary Frankenstein looks at how humans are shaping, and being shaped by, new technologies. 

At a time when modern science was just beginning to explore the limits of the human body through electricity and anatomical research, the English novelist Mary Shelley gave birth to Frankenstein — a story that warned of the ethical consequences of unchecked scientific ambition and critiqued the anthropocentric logic of Britain’s Industrial Revolution. 

Two centuries later, Frankenstein’s monsters live on not in the Gothic laboratories, but in our phones, our screens, our networks. They exist as algorithms, platforms, AI systems and data infrastructures controlled by capital. These monstrous forces have become inseparable from our daily existence. Through this VR experience, we invite you to confront a hidden ‘darkness’ that reveals a contradiction of our digital age – where the creative and information systems we use are often driven by commercial and political interests. 

Three monsters – The Lure, The Dictator and The Liar – are seated at a gloomy, candle-lit dinner table. Each represents a different aspect of humanity’s entwinement with today’s technologies– from algorithms manipulating our behaviour; to the undermining of human agency through Artificial Intelligence; to the distorted ‘truths’ and performative narratives running rampant across social media. 

The exhibition has been created and curated by the Develop Collective: 

Tuğçe Küçük 

Tugce is an experimental researcher and artist whose practice centers on constructing narratives by juxtaposing everyday objects through photography, video, and mixed-media installations. Her work explores unexpected connections between materials, images, and texts. Originally from Ankara, she is currently based in London and is pursuing an MA in Contemporary Photography at Central Saint Martins.

Ashima Pargal 

Ashima is an immersive experience designer. A recent graduate of the Royal College of Art, she works on creating immersive spatial experiences using audio-visual tools and innovative application of digital technologies. With a focus on audience connectivity and thematic conceptualisation, she often experiments with bringing together different spatial dynamics and digitally enabled narratives.

Eliana Dyer Fernandes

Eliana Dyer-Fernandes is a photographer, curator and architect-in-the-making from the University of Cambridge. Her work centres on public engagement, accessibility and inclusive design.

Lisa Jinxuan Zhang

Lisa is currently a BA Art History student at the University of Warwick. She works on artistic research and practice to explore the intersection of art and technology, focusing on the cybernetic feedback loop within the interactive art, particularly the dynamic relationship between audience and artwork.

Alex Xiaonan Guo

Disha Gupta