Mind × Body: Catalyst Phenomenon Archive
A living archive tracing how thought becomes visible through the body, and how the body acquires meaning through thought.
21–31 Shacklewell Lane
London E8 2DA
Mind × Body
The exhibition takes its premise from Juhani Pallasmaa's The Thinking Hand: the hand is not an instrument of execution but an extension of thought, and in touching, shaping and building, it is simultaneously thinking. Mind and body are not opposing poles but mutually catalytic forces, generating what neither could produce alone.
What occurs when they meet is closer to a chemical reaction than to addition. The pressure of fingers on clay preserves the residue of thinking. An unbuilt architectural line holds an imagination of how a body might inhabit space. A knitted sample records a decision made at the scale of a single stitch. A wearable device dissolves the boundary between skin and interface.
Together, the works form a living archive rather than a static display: a record of how the mind–body relationship is being negotiated, strained, and reinvented now. They are arranged to create dialogue across disciplines, placing a woodcut in conversation with a research document, a textile alongside a virtual environment.
Curated by Dr Boyuan Yu, Jianing Luo, and Prof. Lei Zhang.
Exhibiting practitioners
Those taking part are at every career stage and based in the UK, mainland China, the United States, Turkey and beyond. Their work spans printmaking and drawing, woven and knitted textiles, wearable devices, aromatic objects, architectural and spatial research, publication and graphic design, moving image and generative sound, and AR, VR and XR installation, alongside document research.
Press Release
Download the official press release for Mind × Body: Catalyst Phenomenon Archive, including exhibition information, selected project highlights, participating practitioners, and press enquiries.
Download Press Release (PDF)Mind × Body: Catalyst Phenomenon Archive is organised by the Reality Intelligence Association and presented as part of London Design Festival 2026.
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