Cutting-edge digital artists gather at Tatton Park #News
Victoria Hayes
21st March 2022
Five emerging artists in the digital artforms of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) have attended a week-long residential at Tatton Park. They were joined by leading experts from the world of technology-based art. Their challenge, during this highly experimental five-day programme, was to develop proposals for artworks which, it is hoped, will form part of an immersive exhibition at Tatton Park in 2025.
The programme was produced by Abandon Normal Devices (AND), commissioned by AND and Cheshire East Council as part of SHIFT, with funding from Arts Council England and additional support from Italian Cultural Institute in London
Why Tatton Park?
The programme was inspired by Tatton Park’s landscape and the works of Italian painter Canaletto, whose paintings and drawings form part of the Mansion’s collection. In his work, Canaletto emphasised pleasing composition rather than reality or true representation, creating impossible perspectives and imaginary views. ‘Impossible Perspectives’ is the name of the programme and the creative banner under which this exciting team gathered to pull together their own proposals for digital artwork and apply their own ‘impossible perspectives’.
As part of Cheshire East Council’s support of this programme, Tatton Park hosted the event and provided accommodation on the estate for the artists.
What is the aim of the programme?
Carole Hyde, Business Development Manager at Tatton Park, is planning an estate-wide exhibition of Tatton’s incredible collection of Canaletto works in 2025. And this is the first stage in making it a reality. Carole says
“It’s been really exciting having such a talented group of artists in and around the Tatton Park estate this week. We can’t wait to see their creative proposals and vision for our Canaletto exhibition in 2025. We hope to use their digital artwork proposals to attract much-needed funding, in order to bring our Canaletto project to life for visitors in a few years’ time.”
Meet the artists 
Baff Akoto
Based in London, his practice explores the artistic potential of Virtual and Augmented Reality to interrogate how the digital revolution might avoid the same prejudices, exclusions and inequalities which arose from our industrial and colonial eras.
Thomas Buckley
Based in Brighton, his work uses digital or XR outcomes to draw out our humanity, and develop projects that reanimate or reveal new truths in our social histories.
Angela YT Chan
Based in the East Midlands, her work reconfigures power in relation to the inequity of climate change, through self-archiving, rethinking geographies and speculative fiction. Her recent commissions span climate framings, water scarcity and conflict.
enorê
A Brazilian artist working between digital and physical media, currently based in London. Using 3D scans and digital data to establish links between physical and digital realms, enorê works with 3D printed ceramics, textile and video.
Kialy Tihngang
A Glasgow-based interdisciplinary artist working in textiles, costume, photography and the moving image. She is interested in the inability of the human hand and mechanised objects to replicate each other’s work.
About Tatton Park 
Tatton Park is managed and financed by Cheshire East Council on behalf of the National Trust. This impressive heritage visitor attraction receives in the region of 800,000 visitors every year, all of whom come to enjoy its picturesque Parkland, 18th century Mansion, medieval Old Hall, award-winning Gardens and rare breed Farm.
About Abandon Normal Devices
Abandon Normal Devices (AND) is a commissioning agency and a catalyst for new approaches to art-making and digital invention. We create ground breaking projects which challenge the definitions of art and moving image with a distinct emphasis on creative enquiry and provocations. Since its inception in 2009, AND has shaken the creative sector through radical, risk-taking projects that challenge conventional modes of participation, and stimulate new art forms and creative inquiry.
AND brings together an eclectic mix of academics, filmmakers, scientists and anarchists to actively push the boundaries of audience experience and arts production. Inviting artists to hijack the imagination, by developing projects which abandon traditional settings and partnerships.
Proposing a significant shift in the way art is experienced, the AND portfolio consists of site-specific film happenings, exhibitions, performances, online projects, residencies, public realm interventions and a roaming biennial festival. Audiences are invited to interact with bold ideas, encounter new art-forms and experience art, in the everyday and in unexpected locations.