Reactor, by Felicity Hammond, is a new multimedia installation exploring the possibilities of the autonomous submarine. This exhibition marks a new collaboration with Hammond, following her 2017 Signal commission In Defence of Industry, which won a Lumen Award in 2018.

Hammond’s return to Barrow-in-Furness, the heart of the UK’s submarine production, with a new multimedia installation that explores the mind of an autonomous submarine is both timely and provocative, interrogating the intersections of technology, autonomy and power.

Set against the backdrop of Barrow’s defence industry, Hammond imagines a speculative world in which the submarine becomes aware of its own autonomy, reflecting on whether it might follow or refuse its orders. As autonomous submarines designed for underwater warfare begin to enter the global market, this project is particularly pertinent.

Following her recent UK touring exhibition which interrogated the problematic infrastructures of artificial intelligence, Reactor focuses on how this technology is being applied in a military context. In the installation, a constructed control room becomes the stage on which the autonomous submarine’s inner dialogue unfolds. Drawing upon archival images of command decks and the more contemporary technological spaces of system control, the installation draws attention to the power struggles between governments, profit-driven technology companies, and those that train or operate these systems.

The voice of the submarine has been developed through conversations with people connected to the shipyard in Barrow, enabling the future submarine to come into dialogue with echoes of the workers that came before. This inner monologue reflects on agency and what it really means to be ‘fully’ autonomous. As the narrative unfolds, the submarine becomes a site of hesitation, no longer sure if it is a vessel, a worker or a weapon. Much like Hammond’s previous exhibition at Signal in 2017, this new installation connects history and locality to its potential future, connecting the industrial landscape of Barrow to its global context.

Signal invites you to the launch of Reactor on Thursday 28 May, 6–8pm to experience the work firsthand. Please book free tickets below to help us plan for numbers.