Pitzhanger presents ‘A SENSE OF WONDER’
The Curious Robot World of Matt Dixon
An Audio-Visual Adventure
· Enter a magical and playful world inhabited by a series of rusty robot characters at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery from 14 October 2022 to 12 February 2023
· Journey through this audio-visual exhibition with its otherworldly soundscape spanning 100 years of music from Judy Garland to the Beatles to Billie Eilish
· Through Matt Dixon’s imagination and craft see the robots experience the best of human emotions



“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” Thomas A. Edison
Please find images here
Opening this week Friday 14 October, curated by music mogul and former Warner music chairman Rob Dickins CBE, A Sense of Wonder: The Curious Robot World of Matt Dixon, will be presented at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery,creating a magical and playful world inhabited by a series of rusty robots.
This audio-visual adventure invites visitors into the imagination of digitalartist Matt Dixon, who created his first robot character as part of the series Transmissions in 2006 – which was the inspiration behind the design of the O2 robot brand mascot, Bubl. Matt has been exploring this preternatural world ever since and this exhibition will not only present prints, canvas and sketches but introduce a cast of four-foot models, with some surprising interventions, plus an Augmented Reality (AR) experience that will bring to life some elements of the exhibition.
With references to the environment, consumerism, mental health, and other aspects of modern life, visitors will encounter the robots as they experience and express the best of human emotions: wonder, kindness, empathy, friendship, and love. Its ethereal soundscape will span 100 years of music by leading artists from Judy Garland to Willy Wonka, James Taylor to Brian Eno, David Bowie to Imogen Heap, The Beatles to Radiohead, Kate Bush to Bob Marley and Pink Floyd to Billie Eilish in a garden-like setting.
A beta version of Matt Dixon’s new robot video game inspired by Transmissions will be exclusively available for visitors to play.
Clare Gough, Director of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, says: “This exhibition will create an uplifting escape for our visitors during the autumn and winter months into an otherworldly landscape inhabited by Matt Dixon’s endearing robots”
Rob Dickins CBE, Curator of the exhibition, said: “What I love about Matt’s art is that it works on at least two levels, as on the face of it, there are likeable junkyard creations but when you look deeper, there is almost always other levels which comment on the human condition and the environment, sometimes in the polluted landscapes of cities and sometimes in the calm and thoughtful beauty of the countryside. The cryptically titled pieces usually giving the viewer an idea…it is art that repays spending time with each picture. My advice is…look for clues.”
The exhibition is supported by The Deborah Loeb Brice Donor Advised Fund.
The next in Pitzhanger’s series of exhibitions responding to the design and architecture of Pitzhanger will be Anthony Caro and the Inspiration of Architecture. This exhibition of works by leading British abstract sculptor Sir Anthony Caro, will open on what would have been his 99th birthday on 9 March 2023.