Exhibition: Beyond the road

This is an independent project developed by PUNCHDRUNK creatives Colin Nightingale and Stephen Dobbie. Presented by Beyond Projects in collaboration with the Saatchi Gallery, BEYOND THE ROAD merges the worlds of visual arts, music and film and offers visitors a chance to leave behind their modern day lives and lose themselves in a multi-sensory world led by sound.

Collaborating with world renowned and award-winning contemporary artists, filmmakers and photographers, BEYOND THE ROAD deconstructs an exclusive soundtrack by music pioneer James Lavelle (UNKLE), to create a completely new and multi-disciplinary sound experience.

Colin Nightingale and Stephen Dobbie were inspired by their early love of music and DJ culture - and genre-melting record labels such as James Lavelle’s Mo’Wax and his band UNKLE - and how this translates to the the creative world. For BEYOND THE ROAD, Nightingale and Dobbie seek to reinvent how people experience and interact with music, so it becomes an environment which visitors are free to explore.

"We've been dreaming of finding new ways to present music for many years so we are very excited to be creating a project with sound really at its core. We are pushing sound and technology to its limits in this performer-less experience - engaging with audiences through a holistic approach to what art and culture can be.” Colin Nightingale & Stephen Dobbie (Punchdrunk)

Lavelle’s UNKLE albums ‘The Road: Part I’ and ‘The Road: Part II / Lost Highway’ were richly layered and therefore ideal for Nightingale and Dobbie to deconstruct and rebuild spatially as a walk-through album experience for audiences. Interspersed through this sound journey is work by leading contemporary artists and filmmakers that have been part of James Lavelle’s creative world.

“BEYOND THE ROAD is a refreshing and timely cross-pollination of visual art, film and sound. Saatchi Gallery always looks to present work that pushes art forms beyond their limits, and this remarkable installation will undoubtedly make visitors re-think the way they experience music through a truly immersive environment.” Philippa Adams (Gallery Director, Saatchi Gallery)