11 November 2020: The Financial Times is opening the doors to an immersive digital gallery during the FT’s Global Boardroom event on 11-13 November. 

Created in collaboration with brand experience studio Electrify 360, Global Gallery features commissions from algorithmic artists Generative Hut, and Brooklyn-based duo Eridan, who have produced a series of artworks interpreting the current global news agenda. 

The gallery showcases a mix of FT content and unique artworks across three key themes: health, business and climate recovery post Covid-19. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the global economy and its recovery is explored throughout, reflecting the themes explored in the Global Boardroom programme.

Commenting on the gallery, FT’s B2C global marketing director Fiona Spooner said: "We are really excited to be able to drive genuine innovation out of the obstacles that Covid-19 has presented to marketers. Just as many of our live events have successfully pivoted to digital formats, we need to be able to present readers with new engaging ways to experience the FT brand.”

Eridan, famed for using a variety of handmade processes, take inspiration from a range of sources, including FT articles, to depict the themes of geopolitics and climate change. In Super Cluster, a diverse group of professionals work amidst rising waters while stocks and economies rise and sink like waves, a nod to the ubiquitous impact of Covid-19. 

Eridan artist Daniel Greer said: “When we were approached to create artwork for the FT, we knew their history of unbiased reporting was an ideal platform to present circumstances rather than opinions. Our aim was to develop concepts that are open to broad interpretation yet inspire deeper thought into polarising issues.”

In collaboration with the FT’s head of visual and data journalism Alan Smith OBE, Generative Hut - who specialise in artwork created through algorithms or code - use stock market data to produce an abstract animation that depicts performance by sector throughout the pandemic. 

Generative artist Pierre Paslier said: “Working in collaboration with the FT on this project has given us an interesting opportunity to input raw financial data into an emotional and poetic artwork using unpredictable yet precise algorithms that make generative art so mesmerising.”

The Global Gallery aims to complement the Global Boardroom programme of events, showcasing FT content, deepening engagement and encouraging word of mouth advocacy, bringing the FT’s New Agenda journalism to life for both subscribers and non subscribers. 

Sign up here for free access to the FT Global Boardroom event.