2024
Digitalism is more than an exhibition—it is defining a moment in art history.
By presenting some of the best artists (‘digitalists’) working at the forefront of art and technology today, we are formally recognising Digitalism as a distinct new art movement, sitting alongside
the very best of Modern British and Contemporary traditional art at the British Art Fair.
This exhibition serves as a critical platform to contextualise and codify Digitalism, providing
a narrative that traces its development and highlights its cultural significance. Through this
exhibition, we aim to cement Digitalism’s place within the broader history of art, ensuring
that its contributions are acknowledged and studied for generations to come.


The Fifth Plinth on Meadow:
Augmented Reality (AR) Art




Augmented Reality is an exciting and rapidly evolving art form that changes your smartphone into a window
displaying digital art in the world around you, as if it was really there.

A phygital successor to the Trafalgar Square Fourth Plinth, The Fifth Plinth seemingly has nothing placed on it. However,
multiple artworks are being exhibited on and around it at the same time. You can experience these unique pieces through
the Meadow app.The Fifth Plinth on Meadow


    ugmented R    eality (AR)
  • Download the Meadow app HERE
  • Once inside the AR experience space, enter the
             exhibition from the popup in the app.
  • Select an artwork from the menu, and it will be
             revealed for you to experience.






01
Darnau  O Gartref (2024)
Not for sale


Translating as "Fragments of Home", this AR work features photogrammetry pieces collected from the valleys of South Wales. They are whispering clues to the rich heritage of the landscape echoing from the past and present, these fragments have been laced together to encourage observation from alternative angles and perspectives.

02
Daydream (2024)
£1250 Edition of 8

Ashima Pargal


ashimapargal@gmail.com
@icollectlight
Daydream is an immersive experience enabled through Augmented Reality that reveals an insight into a photograph through a poem.

It welcomes the viewer to interpret the photograph for themselves and then observe it through the perspective of the artist. It is one thing to hear a picture being described but an entirely different story watching a photograph narrate itself. This project retains the ability of an image to communicate with a viewer while extending it an opportunity to speak directly to them.

By allowing the viewer a deep glimpse into the picture itself enables them to witness the moment that it was captured. It forges a connection with the deciding moment in an artist’s mind showing them the narrative formulation of the scene that led them to frame that scene in that particular manner. It lends authority to the frame itself, elevating it from an image to a space where the artist and viewer can align their vision.

03
Formations (2024)
£2000, edition of 5

25% of proceeds will go towards offsetting the impact of our carbon footprint this year. We are supporting blue carbon removal in Pakistan and Mexico, locking away carbon in coastal and marine habitats, supporting biodiversity and coastal conservation:

https://ecologi.com/impact-shop/support-certified-blue-carbon-projects

Rocks are often perceived as inanimate and unchanging, but are in fact repositories of time, carrying within them countless stories from the past. Formations is an Augmented Reality experience that brings these silent narratives to the forefront, using soundscapes to highlight the continuity that rocks embody.

Using samples from the Internet Archive and decayed through audio programming, the sounds echo the metamorphosis of rocks and the concept of temporal displacement,  evoking the ancient while still leaving an impression on the present. Each soundscape differs depending on the rock's type, and are triggered through arbitrary encounters.

By engaging with rocks through sound, the audience is invited to consider the ways in which non-human entities leave their mark on the environment, participating in a sonic meditation on time, presence, and the interconnectedness of all things. We ask the question “What do rocks hear?” whilst highlighting forgotten histories and traces of the past embedded within the rocks, and the moments in time that they carry.











04
HIVE (2024)
£2,400 Edtiion of 5
50% of the proceeds will go towards www.wildlifetrusts.org/savingbees

Arti Bhalekar, Ayushi Saxena,
Riya Mahajan, Ruby Bell

ayushi.saxena@network.rca.ac.uk
https://linktr.ee/naturespollinators


HIVE is an AR piece that draws the audience into the world of bees and highlights pollinators' crucial role in our ecosystem. Viewers experience the intricate process of bees at work, gaining a deeper appreciation for their contributions to nature. This experience brings you close to these remarkable creatures and emphasises the need to protect them within our ecosystem.

05
Light (2024)
£649 Edtiion 1 of 3
£849 Edition 2 of 3
£1,049 Edition 3 of 3

Light is an AR artwork of the game Light, a short interactive narrative experience about our protagonist Arul, who is on a journey to find his light while being held back by multiple problems. Set in the mind of Arul based on the landscapes, culture, and beliefs of the southern state of India, Tamil Nadu. The AR is an extract from a scene in Light where Arul finds his Light in the darkness - Written, Directed, and Designed by Muhil V. Tamil 'Kuthu' music was made by Udhayanan C.


To play the game or learn more about Light, message me on:

Instagram @me_muhil (https://www.instagram.com/me_muhil/)

or email me at: muhilvenkatesh@gmail.com

06
Money Trees (2024)
Not for sale
Donations are welcome via: https://gofund.me/0aac35b5

Rachy McEwan


Money Trees, Save Me animation is an  Augmented Reality of a digital tree asset created by visitors via the Money Trees website.

Money Trees aims to increase the value and autonomy of urban trees in London, reducing the likelihood of their removal. By utilising community art, activism and technology to transform how we economically value trees, reducing the
chances of them being cut down.

Trees are a vital living being for both human and ecological health. However, current systems often fail to value their worth accurately, leading to their removal with little or no fee.


Money Trees encourages participants to take photos of various trees around London from different angles through its website. These photographs are then transformed into 3D digital assets and uploaded onto a GIS mapping system on the Money Trees website, providing information on the specific tree species, health, and carbon sequestration value. The digital trees can be purchased in pixels, allowing many people to own parts of the same asset. The money collected helps with the maintenance of the trees. If a physical tree is cut down, the funds accumulated from the digital asset will be reinvested into the community for tree replanting

07
Radiant Fortunes: The Red Paper Dance (2024)
Not for sale

Artemis Zih-Jie Weng

Radiant Fortunes: The Red Paper Dance is an AR piece that reimagines the traditional art of Chinese paper cutting as a vibrant, digital experience. Intricate red patterns, rich with auspicious motifs, folklore, and blessings for good fortune, come to life through augmented reality, symbolizing the preservation and continuity of cultural heritage. By merging timeless craftsmanship with modern technology, the piece invites viewers to immerse themselves in these traditions, fostering a deeper appreciation for how enduring cultural artistry can be experienced and honoured in the age of Digitalism.


Email: artemisweng0529@gmail.com

Website: https://artemisweng.wixsite.com

08
Ridley (2024)
Not for sale

Shruti Nagaraj


shrutinagaraj00@gmail.com
www.shrutinagaraj.net
@shrutnag
“Ridley” is an interactive 3D map of Ridley Road Market, inviting deep listening and reflection on its vibrant sounds and multicultural significance as a community hub amid gentrification

09
The Secret Garden (2024)

£2,000 Edition of 3
25% of the proceeds will go towards
www.rspb.org.uk/donate


Aarti Bhalekar & Anushka Khemka


 https://linktr.ee/aartibhalekar
The Secret Garden is an artwork that invites you to visit a hidden garden that comes to life in augmented reality. It is the first chapter in a series of works that encourage the flourishing of starlings, a species of songbird currently experiencing a significant decline in the UK. With the starling population now on the Red List, this artwork aims to raise awareness about the urgent environmental issue by inviting our audience to see how our activities not only affect their number, but also their behaviour.

10
Through the Cracks
(Letters from Patricia) (2024)
Not for sale
Office of Everyone, English Touring Theatre, Jack Hardiker, Richard Twyman,
Jennifer Bakst, Antek Jancelewicz,
Sonal Bhattacharyya

Download, credits and accessibility information here:
www.officeofeveryone.com/through-the-cracks/

Download the full experience for free on Apple or Android with the link below, or search
‘Through the Cracks’ in your App Store.

Through the Cracks is an AR theatre experience by Office of Everyone and English Touring Theatre. The premiere piece, 'In Time', is a queer, time travelling love story, narrated by Sir Ian McKellen. For the Fifth Plinth, as part of PIVOTAL: Digitalism at British Art Fair, exhibiting at Saatchi Gallery, the artists have developed a shorter gallery activation, 'Letters from Patricia', that presents unique fragments of the larger piece, featuring 360° AR visuals and spatial sound.

The full-length piece, ‘In Time’, can be accessed via the Through the Cracks app, where audiences witness a virtual hole appear on their own floor. Through this hole, a room opens up beneath them, occupied by extraordinary characters and their extraordinary stories.

Download, credits and accessibility information here: https://www.officeofeveryone.com/through-the-cracks/

11
The Space Between Mirrors (2024)
£5,975
 
Sam Nutt


The piece explores the idea that mirrors, both literal and metaphorical, create spaces where reality blurs. What we see in the mirror is both a reflection and a distortion of our true selves and the world around us. "The Space Between Mirrors" becomes a metaphor for the gaps in understanding between how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. It also reflects the hidden layers of truth and illusion.

12
Ghosts of the Future (2024)
£3,000 Edition of 10

Shahwali Shayan

13
Ghosts of the Past (2023)
Bids start at £250,000

Shahwali Shayan

"Ghosts of the Past" is a Dadaist interpretation of a self-portrait in augmented reality. This work delves into themes of identity, resilience, and the democratisation of public space. It is situated on the bridge of Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, where a racially motivated incident made Shahwali feel excluded from an institution he believed was inclusive. By placing his work there, Shahwali questions: Who owns public space?
If his identity was used against him, making him feel out of place due to the colour of his skin, this piece celebrates the fragments
of his identity that make him whole.

The installation uses geo-location and AR technology to create a 3D digital collage of personal and cultural objects—handmade moss-shaped embroidery, paper jasmine flowers, and heirlooms like his mother’s earrings, his father’s wedding slippers, and his grandmother’s kohl liner bottle. These objects form a visual language that honours the amalgamation of Shahwali’s identity. The choice of AR reflects the duality of being present yet invisible, mirroring the immigrant experience of being both visible and urged to remain unseen for protection.

Shahwali invites viewers to walk in his shoes and immerse themselves in a self-portrait that challenges traditional notions of art and identity. An Urdu saying within the piece translates to "When there was no space for greenery on earth, it became moss on the surface of water," encapsulating the theme of resilience, making "Ghosts of the Past" an act of subversion and self-expression.

This exhibit is on Meadow outside the Saatchi Gallery main entrance

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