Connection and Identity

Bold installation in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College by Peter Walker.

There were two works in the display. The first in the body of the hall was like eight long lampshades which changed colour and was accompanied by a soundscape by David Harper. They gave a calming effect but I’m not sure I’d have understood the idea from the blurb that they “evoke the complexity of human identity, its fluidity, and its constant evolution.”

I preferred the more dramatic work on the dais which reinterprets “The Creation of Man” from the Sistine Chapel by using giant female hands. It dominated the space and drew the eye. I loved the way the shadows of people sharing the space fell across the hands.

Closed 25 January 2026



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