Work: Whum and EIR by Artist Jon Fawcett

Developed from research into conspiracy theories, new age ideas and new science, Jon Fawcett’s object-based work is highly engineered, manipulating military or high-end materials and technologies. For The Tanks at Tate Modern, he has produced two new large-scale works; Whum and EIR taking the viewer on a journey through energy fields with uncertain properties, unsettling conversations with psychics and a feeling of involvement in something far greater…

Whum is a slowly rotating, 7-metre wide, highly engineered wheel. On its rim are 9 cylindrical vessels containing undisclosed materials, with a further 10 pods situated around the wheel that allegedly create torsions or energy fields, of which the audience are unaware. EIR sits in an arc next to Whum: 6 booths, each manned by a psychic who takes members of the public through a questionnaire covering their background, political inclinations, beliefs, interests and skills to test whether they suitable for recruitment to a secret organisation.