It is strange to think that the mobile phone was only invented in 1973 and we now have a whole generation who have known nothing else, though it was very limited in what it could do until Apple transformed mobile phones with its iPhone first released in 2007.  Microsoft was founded in 1975, Facebook was launched in 2003 and WhatsApp made its appearance only 10 years ago in 2009.  How the world has changed in a relatively short period of time.  Doug Aitken uses multiple video images and mirrors to create one of the first immersive major spaces in ’TRANSFORMER; The Rebirth of Wonder’ at 180 Strand, where connects Martin Cooper, the inventor of the mobile phone, into a fascinating and expansive view of our history and our potential future.

Doug Aitken crosses the boundary between art and design as he bridges traditional artforms and the modern technological era.

Doug Aitken was also across London, at Victoria Miro.  Initially you were not sure if all the art was by one artist, the windchimes on the terrace alongside the canal having an oriental feel and radically different to the translucent woman who was resting her head on the desk inside, surrounded by brightly-illuminated architectural images.  Upstairs the themes came together with another woman, carved in Zebrino marble, but split into two halves, who changed colour as the light in the room changed, alongside more chimes, much purer in design, creating an ever-changing experience of sound, light and time.

Doug Aitken crosses the boundary between art and design as he bridges traditional artforms and the modern technological era, asking questions about the future of art and of our lives.