The Transmission series are based on the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, UK. This Grade I listed radio telescope created in 1957  has been detecting radio waves and investigating deep space since 1957. Over the decades, it has taken on various roles, including searching for quasars and pulsars, tracking space probes, studying meteoroids, and even searching for lost spacecraft. Its functions and capabilities have evolved over time, yet its structural form remains unchanged.

Chamberlain’s series of etchings form part of a broader, ongoing exploration of architectural structures as symbols and metaphors of technological achievement. The Lovell Telescope is recorded in multiple positions, emphasizing both its monumental nature and its capability of movement. This sense of movement and flux highlights the duality of its existence—continually adapting its objectives and function while maintaining its formal structural qualities.

The work takes inspiration from 18th- and 19th-century drawings and prints of telescope design and promotion. The historical visual aesthetics are reinterpreted within Chamberlain’s contemporary practice, bridging modern scientific structures with artistic traditions of the past. The aim is to merge historical and contemporary perspectives, revisiting traditional methods of drawing and printmaking to create a visual response that reflects the evolving nature of scientific and architectural development.

By employing etching, a medium historically associated with architectural documentation, Chamberlain reinforces connections between past and present, drawing parallels between art, history, and technology. His research fosters an interdisciplinary dialogue across science, the humanities, and the visual arts.

 

* Text taken from the Cosmos exhibition catalogue, Held at the Royal West of England Academy ( RWA), 2026*