Earlier this summer, Spike Island Exhibition Services (SIES) worked with Nottingham Contemporary to deliver a complex video and audio installation for the major new commission by Palestinian artist duo Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, Prisoners of Love: Until the Sun of Freedom, which runs until January.

Working across sound, image, text, installation and performance, Abbas and Abou-Rahme explore the possibilities of storytelling and resistance. The exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary marks their largest multi-media installation to date.

To meet the requirements of this ambitious project, SIES assembled and tested an entirely new kind of AV system in their studios. This setup uses technology commonly found in mainstream AV production (such as in live events or commercial environments) but is rarely used in visual arts exhibitions. The project marks a significant step in adapting these tools for artists’ needs and opens up new possibilities for future installations.

A central part of the system was Dataton’s Watchout software, a powerful platform for controlling multi-screen video displays. Watchout made it possible to synchronise several Epson high-brightness projectors and manage the artists’ intricate sequencing of video and sound. Its timeline-based programming offered precise control over cues and transitions, while advanced blending, masking and warping tools ensured the installation could be realised exactly as intended.

The audio system was built around a Dante network originating from a Dataton Watchpax media server, distributing multi-channel sound throughout the large gallery. Using Dante allowed for detailed, reliable signal routing between the Watchpax, an Allen & Heath digital mixer, and high-end Fohhn DSP amplifiers and loudspeakers.

This project has significantly expanded the type of technology and technical support that SIES can offer to artists and partner institutions. The same system installed at Nottingham Contemporary will be used again at Spike Island for Feedback, a forthcoming exhibition by artist Olukemi Lijadu, where it will manage a complex network of audio, video, visual and lighting elements.

Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-Rahme: Prisoners of Love is showing at Nottingham Contemporary until 11 January, 2026.

Olukemi Lijadu: Feedback will be opening at Spike Island on Friday 29 January and showing until Sunday 3 May 2026.

Are you looking for support with your next AV project, exhibition or installation? Or looking for advice, equipment hire, or post-production services? Get in touch with Spike Island Exhibition Services.