Exodus Crooks, a British-Jamaican multidisciplinary artist and educator, places the relationship with self at the heart of their creative practice.

In their latest work, a collaboration with movement artist Chelsea Gordon and part of the AI FUTURES programme, Crooks explores how advancements in communication technology are altering the way we interact with one another. The piece examines public perceptions of AI, reflecting on media and technology through the lens of the renowned Jamaican-British academic and cultural theorist, Professor Stuart Hall (1932–2014).

As you enter The Vaults, an evocative space repurposed from the old Municipal Bank’s secure room, you’ll find films on either side of the room depicting hands in motion – fingers flexing at varying speeds and intensities, as if typing on an invisible mobile phone keyboard. 

Opposite the entrance, Crooks presents a moving image installation featuring 13 mobile phones arranged horizontally to form the shape of a QWERTY keyboard. Each device displays three keys of an iPhone on-screen keyboard, subtly shifting over time as the key arrangement alternates between the Apple font SF Pro and a graphically rendered version resembling handwritten letters. 

This immersive experience encourages reflection on how technology influences the tone and sentiment of messages once conveyed through natural bodily gestures, a moment of contemplation on how our digital age continues to reshape human connection, and how AI increasingly mimics human behaviour.

AI FUTURES runs from February to November 2024 at The Exchange.  It invites you to join the University of Birmingham on an exploration of the fascinating world of artificial intelligence. Through a series of exhibitions and events, the programme addresses vital questions inspired by the University’s research.

This new commission, supported by the University of Birmingham and the Ikon Investment Fund, is the latest in a series of successful collaborations between Ikon and The Exchange, following projects like Foka Wolf’s Why Are We Stuck in Hospital? and Vanley Burke’s A Gift to Birmingham.

Exodus Crooks’ work at The Exchange is also part of Ikon’s 60th anniversary celebrations. It follows their previous exhibition, Epiphany (Temporaire), held at Ikon Gallery from 9 February to 21 April 2024, commissioned by Ort Gallery and International Curators Forum (ICF) and curated by Orphée Kashala.

The exhibition runs Monday – Saturday.

Image © Tegen Kimbley