LAS Art Foundation, Berlin is presenting the second episode of THE SOUL STATION, titled ARE YOU SOULLESS, TOO? – British new media artist Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s first solo presentation in Germany. The first episode YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING, which ran from July 12 - September 1, 2024, told the story of a cataclysm in a parallel society, where the disenfranchised rose in rebellion against global slavery and overthrew their masters. ARE YOU SOULLESS, TOO? runs from September 13 - October 13, and explores the interactions of a new group of characters who migrate to another universe, while also providing a behind-the-scenes look at the real people and stories that brought the first episode to life. Both episodes are game-based installations, meant to be played collectively by audiences in Halle am Berghain, a portion of the legendary Berlin bar and nightclub that hosts art exhibitions. THE SOUL STATION is commissioned by LAS Art Foundation, with artist and curator Mawena Yehouessi as guest curator. Yehouessi joins Dr Boris Magrini, senior curator, LAS Art Foundation, in an interview with STIR to shed light on Brathwaite-Shirley’s installations and how they engage with Berghain’s rich history of self-expression.

Science fiction and horror, among the genres Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley draws on, have often been used to reflect the reality of the time, allowing the use of fantasy, irony or drama to offer a metaphorical look at ethical, social issues. – Dr Boris Magrini, senior curator, LAS Art Foundation

Brathwaite-Shirley works across animation, sound art, performance art and video games. At Halle am Berghain, her installations greet audiences through a blanket of fog in a darkened space. Magrini likens the exhibition hall to a “post-apocalyptic temple” for its industrial architecture and high ceilings. The result is quite imposing and sets the tone perfectly for THE SOUL STATION. While YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING (2024) and ARE YOU SOULLESS, TOO? (2024) are meant to be experienced collectively, there are also several SOUL STATIONS (2024) dispersed throughout the hall. The larger game installations play out like multiple-choice adventure stories and require players to team up and divide themselves into leaders and followers. The leaders are then confronted with moral dilemmas that must be overcome in order to advance the plot of the game. The followers can vote for their preferred courses of action. Meanwhile, the SOUL STATIONS are meant to be engaged individually and prompt players to ask themselves difficult questions to realise what Brathwaite-Shirley describes as cleansing your soul. These can also be accessed online and require a unique system-generated code to play. However, they have puzzle elements that require careful exploration of the art exhibition at Halle am Berghain to crack.

The digital media aesthetics of Brathwaite-Shirley’s installations are quite striking. The British artist creates character models that are reminiscent of Playstation 1-era digital art, as they are ‘low-poly’ or created from a smaller number of polygons than more detailed contemporary videogame characters. Her alien worlds are rooted in science fiction and the general presentation of THE SOUL STATION is also intentionally unnerving, together creating the feeling of being in a tense, grungy and yet technologically advanced environment, perhaps aboard a derelict spacecraft. As Magrini tells STIR, “Science fiction and horror, among the genres Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley draws on, have often been used to reflect the reality of the time, allowing the use of fantasy, irony or drama to offer a metaphorical look at ethical, social issues.” Brathwaite-Shirley’s articulation of science fiction and horror in video game art is focused on issues of social and systemic persecution against members of certain communities, often black and queer.

Yehouessi adds that Brathwaite-Shirley’s speculative fiction not only highlights the persistence of identity-based struggles but urges audiences to confront their complicity in upholding systems of oppression that marginalise communities. This is quite apparent from THE SOUL STATIONS, which can be accessed online and continually prompts the player to critically examine their morality.

The games that make up this compelling solo exhibition have found both an ideal venue and a receptive audience at Halle am Berghain. As Magrini points out, Berghain continues to remain an iconic destination for radical self-expression. THE SOUL STATION “fits perfectly into this context, allowing for an expansive reflection on themes of personal identity and societal acceptance, extending the narrative that Brathwaite-Shirley consistently explores in her work.”

‘ARE YOU SOULLESS, TOO?’ is on view from September 13 - October 13, 2024, at Halle am Berghain.