Transformation Marathon was a 24-hour public programme at the Serpentine Galleries bringing together artists, writers, scientists, designers and philosophers to explore how transformation occurs across cultural, political and technological systems. The programme addressed topics including transgender politics, environmental adaptation, micro-politics, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and the evolving role of the art institution. Held across a continuous 24-hour format, the event marked the tenth anniversary of the Serpentine Marathon series.
For the 2015 edition, Gabriel A. Maher designed the scenography and stage environment for the programme. The spatial design translated the theme of transformation into a layered media landscape, situating the speaking body within circulating systems of text, image and information. Operating simultaneously as stage, interface and spatial frame, the scenography explored how bodies, knowledge and media become entangled within contemporary cultural infrastructures.
Maher was an invited speaker within the official curatorial programme, presenting their work Mediated Bodies and Technologies for Seductive Criticism, which examine how media systems frame and produce cultural understandings of the body. The presentation was followed by a conversation with design critic Alice Rawsthorn, joined by social innovator Hilary Cottam and designer Christien Meindertsma, addressing questions of transformation in relation to personal identity.
Format / Materials
Event scenography and stage design; public talk
Credits
Gabriel A. Maher — Concept, Scenography & Stage Design; Speaker
Curatorial Team
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Lucia Pietroiusti, Ben Vickers
Location
Serpentine Galleries, London