THE EMBRACE EXHIBITION
Embrace returns to London as a live mixed-reality installation. Wearing untethered AR headsets, visitors move through a monochrome environment that regains colour and vitality through connection and consensual hugs. Originally developed at the New Museum’s NEW INC (NYC) in 2019, this Camden edition features drawings by local schoolchildren on kindness and belonging, woven directly into the experience.
Dates
Sat 18 Oct — 14:00–17:00 (family-friendly opening reception)
Sun 19 Oct — 12:00–17:00
Mon 20 Oct — 10:00–17:00
Venue
The Art Office
48 Chalcot Road, London NW1 8LS (Primrose Hill)
RSVP and Booking
Families are warmly invited to attend the Embrace exhibition and kid-friendly opening reception on Saturday, 18 October, 2:00–5:00 PM, at The Art Office in Primrose Hill.
To help manage headset use and ensure everyone has a chance to experience the installation, please book a time slot for the XR session or RSVP for the reception using the link: https://tinyurl.com/EmbraceBooking
XR Experience: 👧🧒 Ages 10+ recommended
What you’ll experience
Embrace places you inside a desaturated version of the gallery. Around you, virtual figures and a central, softly pulsing heart hint at a world losing its rhythm. Your task is simple and human: ask for a hug, receive a “yes,” and embrace. Each consensual hug revives colour, steadies the heart, and slows the fade. Periodically, the space invites a group hug—when visitors gather, the environment blooms and the heart glows stronger. Camden schoolchildren’s drawings appear as in-world artefacts, threading their voices into the installation. No controllers, no cables—just presence, permission, and playful courage.
Consent & comfort
Hugs are always optional and always consensual. Players are guided to ask first and proceed only on a clear “yes.” You can participate by observing, offering a wave or a smile, or joining a group hug when you’re ready.
Children’s art submissions (deadline: Thu 16 Oct)
I am inviting Camden families to submit A5–A4 drawings on hugging, kindness, connection & community. Selected works appear in-scene during the exhibition.
Submit here → tinyurl.com/EmbraceSubmission
About the artist
Skye Von is a Camden-based artist and experience designer working at the intersection of art, story, and participation. Her projects blend physical spaces with responsive digital worlds to create felt, memorable encounters that bring people together.
How Embrace First Came to Life
Embrace was first developed in 2019 during my time at the New Museum’s NEW INC in New York. In that version, participants wore VR headsets and entered a fading virtual world where only connection could restore balance and life. Through simple gestures and shared presence, players helped bring light and colour back to the environment, discovering how empathy and awareness can transform not only virtual spaces but also how we relate to one another.
This year’s Camden edition builds on that foundation, introducing local children’s artwork to bring new layers of imagination and community into the experience.
🎥 Below are a few images and clips from the original installation to give a sense of what visitors will experience.
Press & partners
Press kit (images + copy): https://tinyurl.com/EmbracePressKit
Media enquiries: skyevdo@gmail.com
With thanks to The Art Office and the participating families and schools in Camden.