An exhibition set 50 years in the future exploring how AI and nature could solve climate change is set to debut at the Lowry.
The Guardians of Living Matter, an interdisciplinary exhibition, will be open to the public in the Lowry’s Andrew Law Galleries.
The exhibition is set to feature a large-scale multi-sensory installation at its centre, showcasing a living sculpture of mycelium, the “underground fungal threads that connect and sustain plant life,” and “low-carbon AI prototyping.”
Surrounding the main piece is “a research lab and brand-new large-scale solo works by each artist,” which explore the entangled relationships between artificial and fungal intelligence.
It invites visitors to “imagine a world transformed by collaboration between AI and nature,” and “consider futures grounded in care, imagination, and collective action.”
John-Paul Brown and Sophy King, the artists and designers behind the exhibition, said: “Our exhibition is a timely intervention for social unity.
“Offering audiences a future built on collective action; embracing new technology and connecting with holistic and natural approaches to tackling the climate crisis.”
The artwork mimics the world in 2076, half a century on from when a “fear of technology and rising climate anxiety” enshrouded the political climate.
Due to “an extraordinary collaboration with our non-human allies,” the climate crisis has eased in this artwork.
In the exhibition, the artists use mycelium, the “underground fungal threads that connect and sustain plant life,” to demonstrate the union between the living world and AI.
Zoe Waton, a Contemporary Curator at the Lowry, said: “Working with John-Paul and Sophy on the development of The Guardians of Living Matter has been insightful, encouraging, and an adventure.
“I’m really looking forward to visitors experiencing the show through staged environments, ambitious artwork installations, and engaging with ideas that evoke hope around our planet’s future.”
The artwork has been commissioned through the Lowry’s flagship artist development programme, Developed With, which supports artists across the North of England to expand the scope and ambition of their work.
The scheme, which launched in 2009 and is supported by Arts Council England and Salford City Council, is one of the most longstanding, innovative and respected initiatives for creative talent in the UK.
There have been 52 productions and one exhibition commissioned as part of Developed With Lowry, including BAFTA award-winning comic Sophie Willan’s first stand-up hour ‘On Record’.
It aims to “support artists in creating ambitious and innovative new work, which often opens at The Lowry before touring nationally and internationally.”
John-Paul Brown and Sophy King joined the 2024-2026 cohort following a £40k investment in May 2024.
The rest of the cohort includes actor, writer and theatre maker Aarian Mehrabani, artist, puppeteer and visual theatre maker Beka Haigh, interdisciplinary dance artist, choreographer, and stand-up comedian Lewys Holt, dance, circus and parkour artist Louiseanne Wong, composer Stephen Hyde and writer & director Ella Langley.
Alongside the development scheme, The Guardians of Living Matter has also been supported by the Henry Moore Foundation, with additional support from the University of Salford, SODA (School of Digital Arts) at Manchester Metropolitan University, HOME Manchester, and Royal Exchange Theatre.
John-Paul Brown is a Greater Manchester-based visual artist with a studio at Rogue in Gorton.
His practice explores layered narratives that weave together personal experience with wider geopolitical and environmental realities, using sustainable approaches as someone who is “deeply committed” to low-carbon, environmentally conscious making.
Sophy King is a multidisciplinary environmental artist, investigating the climate crisis, human and non-human ecologies, geological time and socioeconomic histories.
Working originally as a glassblower, she has developed her studio practice further and has been exhibiting and making site-specific work nationally and internationally.
Antonia Beck, the Senior Producer of Artist Development at the Lowry, said: “As our second major Developed With exhibition, we’re incredibly proud to support John-Paul and Sophy on this journey.
“Our artist development programme is increasingly enabling visual artists to expand the boundaries of their work and realise ambitious new shows for our audiences.”
John-Paul Brown and Sophy King said: “Thanks to Lowry and its Developed With programme, we have had the time and curatorial support to fully realise our vision for a major new contemporary art exhibition.”
The Guardians of Living Matter is at the Lowry from 31st January to 29th March 2026, and is free to visit.
Opening times are 11am-5pm Tuesday-Friday, and 10am-5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
For more information, visit the Lowry’s website here.
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