WHAT? Lucy Raven: Rounds
WHERE? The Curve, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
WHEN? Now until 4th January 2026. Free to visit
WHY GO?  To feel the force. The majesty of water has the power to grip as this film or moving image installation, as it is billed, reinforces.
After watching the work of multi-disciplinary artist Lucy Raven on screen in the niche Curve gallery, visitors might well be wary of ever drinking water again!
Her work is manna from heaven for all eco-warriors and this environmental film definitely invites discussion. It will resonate with everyone concerned about the state of our planet and is not for the faint-hearted. It packs no punches as we are invited to watch the removal of a century-old dam in Northern California that has disrupted the ecosystem.
As it explodes with dynamite, the sound reverberates throughout the whole gallery as rivers gush towards the ocean. Totally mesmerising, water gathers momentum over rocks and branches, getting ever more powerful — ebbing and flowing alongside picture-perfect hillside houses and over barren riverbeds, eventually into the deep blue beautiful sea.
The name itself, Murderers Bar, electrifies the senses and the whole experience of watching Raven’s film, though a little like attending a lecture, is utterly thought-provoking.
It is accompanied by a quadraphonic soundtrack scored by Raven’s musical collaborator, composer and percussionist Deantoni Parks.
IN THE KNOW Also on show, Raven’s latest kinetic light sculpture, Hardpan, invites visitors to imagine how astronauts might feel during flight. The large rotating steel structure spins around and around with continuous acceleration. Avoid getting close if you have vertigo — it is atmospherically giddy-making!