Imagine if tomorrow, language as we know it ceased to exist on a worldwide scale. What would happen? How would we communicate? The biblical story of the Tower of Babel describes the origin of diversity in human culture and language. The divine judgement against human arrogance was the ultimate punishment – a total breakdown of communication. This international group exhibition in which artists explore how we are transformed through written and spoken language. From animatronic parrots creating a babble of artificial words to a global telephone game of Chinese Whispers, from handmade alphabet books to sea-washed glass fragments, this exhibition investigates the shaping of our identities through translation and dialogue. 

Artists include: Fiona Banner, Simon Biggs with Stuart Jones, Xu Bing, Andreas Gedin, Simryn Gill, Kenneth Goldsmith, Joseph Grigely, Tony Kemplen, Ruark Lewis, Paul Carter, Ken Lum and Wong Hoy Cheong. Their places of origin include China, Malaysia, Sweden, Australia, North America and England.