Having just visited the QUAD’s latest exhibition, I had to hop on to do my public service and tell you how thoroughly splendid it is.

The QUAD’s current exhibition is set to break visitor records for the venue. What a Loving, and Beautiful World by Japanese collective teamLab, has already had over nine thousand visitors.

These visitors are equal to the previous records set by the exhibitions Pride and the Passion: Contemporary Art, Football and the Derby County Collection and V.02, a display of interactive digital artwork, whose visitor figures were 9,906 and 10,520 respectively each over an eight week period.

What a Loving, and Beautiful World has had 9831 visitors already in five weeks and, with more than two weeks of it remaining on display at QUAD, the exhibition is projected to attract a total of over 14,000 visitors.

It was a surreal, magical experience, as I watched in wonderment at symbols cascading down the walls. I’ve always loved lights in the dark (I recall a night flight over Paris being one of my favourite moments ever as I spied hundreds of lights twinkling in the dark).

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QUAD Senior Curator Peter Bonnell said: “This artwork has transfixed audiences coming to visit QUAD Gallery, with universally positive visitor comments about how this work has impacted on people. What a Loving, and Beautiful World by teamLab is actually about people coming together and these visitor figures demonstrate the appeal of great art.”

 Images and videos of the exhibition have been shared widely on social media and visitors have not only left great feedback but have been encouraging their friends to come and see it.

What a Loving, and Beautiful World (2011), is a 3-screen installation of projected computer generated artworks which will immerse audiences in a stunning interactive art experience in QUAD Gallery.

The installation features twenty-two Sino-Japanese characters by the calligrapher Shishū which cascade down from ceiling to floor. The artwork is activated either by touch or by shadows which transform the images into new motifs associated with the meanings of the characters—mostly inspired by nature such as the sun, moon, water, trees and birds.

As these images and the viewers interact with one another, more forms emerge that transform into and ever-evolving installation landscape. Sound is also triggered and transformed by audience interaction which ultimately generates a rich multi-sensory experience that is dependent upon the actions of visitors in the gallery and never repeats itself

The exhibition is by Japanese interdisciplinary creative collective teamLab, who describe themselves as ‘Ultra-technologists’ who produce large-scale immersive installations that utilise the latest computer modelling techniques to create stunning interactive visual art experiences. What a Loving, and Beautiful World, at QUAD is the UK premiere of the exhibition.

teamLab What a Loving, and Beautiful World is on display in QUAD Gallery until 5th February 2017. The Gallery is open daily from 11:00am – 5:00pm, it will also be open late, until 9:00pm, on Thursdays 19th & 26th January and 2nd February.

The exhibition is free to view.

For more information, please call QUAD Box office on 01332 290606 or see: www.derbyquad.co.uk.

Why not make a day of it like I did, and grab some waffles as a sweet treat? Have you been to Diletto? It’s a new dessert parlour which specialises in waffles, crêpes and sundaes. Armed with my Groupon voucher, we tucked into huge waffles laden with white chocolate sauce and strawberries. I wish I was hungrier, as I would have devoured the whole plate. Portions are very generous, so you may want to visit Diletto on an empty-ish stomach, or have a very hungry friend to share.

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If you do manage to get down to either the QUAD or Diletto, I would love to know what you think of it.

RAx