ABOUT

Over the past 15 years Di Mainstone has delivered ambitious interactive installations and public art projects throughout the UK and beyond. Di’s films have won awards internationally, and her instruments and wearables have marvelled audiences.

Commissions and clients

Di’s unique body of work spans film, instruments, installations, public realm, performances and wearables. She has been awarded numerous commissions which combine her background in fashion and technology with sculpture, music and dance. Di works closely with communities, venues and artists to deliver inspiring experiences for all. She has received accolades from audiences, media and partners for her work and collaborative process. Curator Kate Chadwick from Southbank Centre best summed up Di’s work as an artist following her sold-out Soundpit installation:

“Di’s enthusiasm and breadth of work is inexhaustible. Her professionalism, determination to realise an artwork to the highest quality, along with her ability to form strong connections with institutions, partners and all that work on her projects is inspirational”.

Di has exhibited at museums, festivals and institutions such as Design Museum, The Barbican, The Royal Institute of British Architects, The V&A, Sage Gateshead, Tower Bridge, The National Portrait Gallery, The Roundhouse, National Science and Media Museum, Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, Centre for Digital Music, Media & Arts Technology, Cannes Film Festival, Eyebeam NYC and the Swedish National Touring Theatre.

Recent commissions include:

2021/2022 – Di and Charles Holland Architects have collaborated on an  installation for the Royal Institute of British Architecture, Radical Rooms, which is showing in their gallery at 66 Portland Place, London until September 24th 2022.

2019/2020 – Di’s interactive installation Soundpit sold out at the Southbank Centre in Spring 2019 and returned by poplar demand in Winter 2020.

2019 – Appointed commissioned artist by London’s Tower Bridge to celebrate their 125th anniversary. Di developed a speculative climate-inspired film, Time Bascale, which has gone on to receive multiple international awards.

REsearch and lecturing

Di is a WIRED innovation fellow. She has expanded her research into technology through international art-science residencies at institutes such as Eyebeam Centre for Art and Technology in New York, XS Labs in Montreal and V2_Institute for the Unstable Media in Rotterdam.

Di was resident at Queen Mary University of London from 2009-2015 where she collaborated with the School of Electrical Engineering to develop body-centric sonic instruments that transform physical movement into sound via digital technology. She invented the term “movician” to describe the players of her wearable instruments; part-mover part-musician.

She has taught and led body-centric workshops at festivals and events such as British Council and One Dot Zero’s Connect ZA Festival in Johannesburg, Roundhouse’s Reverb Music Festival, WIRED Conference, Flockomania Symposium and Thinking Digital Arts.

Di has joined a host of international institutes as visiting tutor, such as Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, London College of Fashion, New York University and Concordia University in Montreal. She has lectured at universities such as Central School of Speech and Drama, University of the Arts, Edinburgh Napier University, Birmingham University, Brighton University, Pratt NYC, and MICA: Maryland Institute College of Art. 

Media

Di’s work has been featured in Woman’s Hour, BBC 6 Music, BBC World Service, The Financial Times, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time Out, Dezeen, Wallpaper, Architects’ Journal, Monocle, The Observer and many more media outlets.

Please visit the Press section for more information. 

Di's CV
Di's Portfolio
Home
Soundpit

Soundpit can be installed in your venue.  Commission us to produce new audiovisuals to fit with your programming…

TIME MIRROR

Time Mirror is a touring artwork that can be hired to be installed at your venue…

COMMISSION NEW WORK

Commission Di to produce new original artistic experiences for an event or festival…

BUY DI'S WORK

Purchase Di’s work from her online shop… COMING SOON

Film Commission

Commission Di to make an artistic film incorporating dance, music and costume…

Public Speaking

Hire Di to speak at your event, and share her unique experiences at the intersection of science and art…

Di Mainstone ©Di Mainstone

Di is a multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker whose work has been exhibited at Southbank Centre, The Barbican, the V&A, Sage Gateshead, The National Portrait Gallery & more.

Visit

Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, London EC2A 3PQ