Somerset House Studios relaunches G31

G31, previously named Gallery 31, is a project space dedicated to the work of artists who are a part of Somerset House Studios, as well as work developed through its residency programmes. Its new evolution will refocus its efforts on connecting ongoing work – at all stages of development – in the building to audiences, allowing them an opportunity to have a look behind the scenes and to interact with the risk taking work that’s flourishing within the building.  

Open year-round, it hosts a programme of installations and activities, with most free to attend, as part of the wider Somerset House Studios programme. The work to be shown in the space premieres with long-standing Studios’ resident Libby Heaney’s new VR installation, Heartbreak and Magic on 9 February. The VR installation draws on the artist’s own experience with personal grief and loss, the artwork explores the qualities of quantum physics to offer alternative perspectives on how we think and feel about the self and existence. The VR artwork empowers audiences to connect with the emotions we hold in our bodies. Heaney has been in residence since 2017 and has exhibited works made in-house at the likes of Ars Electronica, Tate Modern, V&A and the Southbank Centre.