Antony Gormley is taking you into space, plopping you on the Moon and then shooting you into the Sun. The sculptor’s first foray into VR – created in association with scientist Dr Priyamvada Natarajan – starts on Earth. You explore a tranquil tropical island and are then dragged through the stratosphere to watch the Earth revolve beneath you. Before you know it, you’re taken to the Moon, where your every step leads to a nauseating bounce as you float through the low gravity. Eventually, your time on the Moon comes to an end and you fly through space, straight into the heart of the Sun.
There are ideas about the position of the body in space – both outer space, and the space around you – and climate change at play here. But you can’t help but feel like you’re just playing a fairly mediocre video game. As an experience, it’s fun enough – the mapping of the Moon is great, and the vom sensation as you hop around is pleasantly stomach-turning. But it doesn’t have much to say as an actual work of art. It’s not particularly engrossing, is a bit long considering what it offers, and it feels like it’s sort of about naff all. Anything Gormley has to say, he says it much better with his sculptures. Also, if you’re going to send anything into space, make it the word ‘Lunatick’, which might be the worst title for a work of art in the history of the universe.
(Booking in advance is essential)