Must-See: Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s Revolutionary Metaverse

This review is part of a new series of Must-See shows, in which a writer delivers a snapshot of a current exhibition  

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s new game-based exhibition, ‘THE SOUL STATION’ – commissioned by LAS Art Foundation for Halle am Berghain, Berlin – builds an interactive metaverse in which collective decisions can offer a path to greater social awareness. Featuring a newly commissioned work, YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING (2024), alongside a survey of projects from the past five years, the artist’s first solo presentation in Germany invites viewers to play a collection of narrative-driven games. Through composite characters and immersive environments generated in a low-poly aesthetic, Brathwaite-Shirley explores marginalized histories – specifically those of Black and Queer communities. Entering Berlin’s legendary nightclub, visitors find themselves in a dark space, dense with fog, in which an array of variously sized screens flicker with artificial light, idly awaiting human interaction.

In YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING, an eye blinks on a large circular screen, spinning in its socket in search of its next ‘leader’. Following a revolution against globalized slavery in a parallel world, players must work collaboratively to decide the narrative of the game, overcoming a series of moral dilemmas along the way and choosing who to save and who to follow. To play the game, two participants must nominate themselves as leaders and assume their positions in the chairs beneath the screen. The remaining spectators settle into the seating arena and assist the leaders in their decision-making by way of a digital voting system. Presented with information the leaders can’t access, the audience must also use their voice to aid them in the navigation. It is up to the leaders to decide whether they wish to listen to the collective advice or to follow their own agenda. The end result is different every time.

Braithwaite-Shirley’s interactive storylines offer the illusion of infinite possibility. In both the artist’s virtual universe and our own physical reality, a dichotomy of agency exists: for many marginalized communities, the privilege of choice is at odds with the complex systems that govern their lives. Following a system of its own, ‘THE SOUL STATION’ is designed to bring forth perspectives that have previously gone unnoticed, asking us collectively to reflect on these stories and adjust the lens through which we view them.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s ‘THE SOUL STATION’ is on view at Halle am Berghain, Berlin, until 1 September

The second episode of the show, ARE YOU SOULLESS, TOO?, will be revealed during Berlin Art Week from 13 September to 13 October

_{Main image: Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, ‘THE SOUL STATION’, 2024. installation view. Courtesy: © Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and LAS Art Foundation; photograph: Alwin Lay}