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The title of the exhibition, Foundation’s Edge takes its name from Isaac Asimov’s science-fiction novel from 1982. Central to the novel is a concept in which all of human knowledge is collected for prosperity at opposite ends of the galaxy. This motif pervades several of the artworks in the exhibition. Lawrence English’s Heavy Nothing (Iteration) (2013) reflected on the 1977 NASA Voyager 1 and 2 space probes, both of which carry ‘The Golden Record’, a twelve inch gold plated copper phonographic record. The record collects images and sounds representative of humanity and earth, as a symbolic welcoming or introduction to possible alien life. English’s Heavy Nothing (Iteration) consists of two austere Technics SL-1200 turntables, each with a rotating copper record. In a gesture towards John Cage, the records were not cut with any music. On playing, all the ear can discern are mechanical imperfections, dust and wear. If an alien life were ever to hear ‘The Golden Record’ their response and interpretation could well be ‘nothing’. Today, the Voyager space crafts have completed their missions, yet continue to fly, and, like English’s spinning turntables on locked grooves, both will continue indefinitely. English’s I’ll Be Your Mirror (Iteration) (2013) features three similar turntables spinning mirrored acrylic vinyl. The minimalist serenity is a silent narcissistic parody of future perfection.
Ken and Julia Yonetani’s Crystal Palace: The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nuclear Nations (2012) derives its lengthy title from ‘The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations’—the 1851 showcase, held in a gigantic architectural glasshouse, intended to collect and show off Britain’s industrial and technological hegemony. The Yonetanis’ chandeliers represent a deceptive opulence and extravagance