Projects | Al Hopwood

Al Hopwood has been creating exhibitions, artworks, digital projects, live performances, immersive experiences, scripted works and essays since 1997.

The small selection below offers a snapshot of this ongoing practice, developed in collaboration with museums, galleries and universities around the world. Using humour, critical thinking and a mix of disciplines, these projects invite audiences to reflect on how we construct – and sometimes distort – personal and collective truths.

Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic

Al Hopwood initiated and curated (with Honor Beddard) the landmark exhibition Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic at Wellcome Collection in 2019. The exhibition explored the psychology of magic through a collection of artefacts gathered from the history of magic, spiritualism and psychology. More

False Memory Archive

Al Hopwood created the False Memory Archive during a residency at the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths in 2011. It has since grown into an ongoing international touring exhibition, a scientific paper, a book, a music project and conference series. Works include a series of collaborations with cognitive psychologists and a collection of 'non-believed' memories submitted by the public. Visit the False Memory Archive website.

WITH (withyou.co.uk)

Al Hopwood has worked under the satirical guise of the fictional art collective 'WITH' since 2004, creating playful conceptual artworks through a series of Solutions. Whether creating evidence of a happier (or more traumatic) past, playing out a worst case scenario or exercising on your behalf, WITH claim to offer their clients "time-saving solutions for personal growth and individual development". Project partners have included Tate Britain, ICA London, Hayward Gallery, Mona Tasmania and Chapter Cardiff. Visit the WITH website to learn more.

WITH TV

During the pandemic Al Hopwood launched a new project called WITH TV where you can commission him to create a film that fictionalises an experience from your past. The Storyboard service is currently available with The Short and The Feature launching soon. Visit the WITH TV website for more.

The Ethics of Deception

Al Hopwood wrote a six part essay series for Wellcome Stories in 2019 about the various uses of deception in art, science and popular culture and asked whether such activity can still be justified in light of our so-called misinformation age. The series can be read here

Temporary Chroma Key Memorials

Al Hopwood was commissioned by Wellcome Collection in 2021 to create a new series of photographs and a script for a fictional podcast. See the project at the Wellcome Collection website.