A New Reality is Born at Serpentine with THE DELUSION

In a time of global uncertainty and information overload, one London gallery is asking people to do the unthinkable. Not only to play a game but to interact with it. To voice out. To be affected. From 30 September 2025, Serpentine North presents THE DELUSION, a groundbreaking immersive game by artist and game maker Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley. Half video game, half theatre, half archive, half activism, the visionary installation invites players to step into a new reality in which play and protest become inseparable

The Brathwaite-Shirleys, whose emotionally intense digital worlds and Black Trans community-focused practice are now a hallmark, have devised what is arguably the most ambitious project of their career. Supported by Serpentine Arts Technologies, THE DELUSION is not an exhibition. It is an immersive live space for connection, dissent, and dialogue

The Power of Play in a Divided World

What do you do when a game is not fun? When its purpose is not escape but awareness? Cooperative game mechanics are employed in THE DELUSION to create space for hard conversations. Adapted from the mayhem of online debate and disconnection of contemporary life, the production makes visitors players. They are not observers. They are performers in a live show where choices matter and every word creates the experience

The experience begins as a contract. Before entry, the players must sign a terms and conditions document. Inside, multiplayer play occurs on specially designed controllers created by Brathwaite-Shirley and others. These are variations on familiar genres such as arcade racing or obstacle courses but they are cooperative instead of competitive. Inside the virtual worlds, satire and absurdity are employed as keys to unlocking emotion and to encourage honesty

Where Art Meets Conversation

The gallery is a stage. A series of dramatic, theatrical cues guides players through shifting emotions and interactions. The environment responds to movement and sound, echoing Brathwaite-Shirley's argument that the best art emerges from interaction. As players play, talk, and think, the game engine tracks not scores but stories

Soundtracks composed by Loraine James score the experience with ambient music that enhances emotional resonance. Guests will make their way through spaces that are designed to foster empathy and contemplation rather than adrenaline. The ultimate goal is not to win but to feel

A Gathering of the Modern

Whereas the visual style of THE DELUSION draws on science fiction and horror influences such as The Backrooms and 1990s video games, the content is earthed. Brathwaite-Shirley includes conversations with spiritual leaders, social organizers, and members of their Black Trans and Queer community. These are woven throughout the game's design, presented alongside autobiographical text and live documentation from the gallery space itself

In one of the spaces, guests will discover stained glass narrating the tale of the game world's inciting event. In another, sculptural effigies convey the inner psychology of players responding to the collapse of society. A zine titled Below the.blue Line, the work's conceptual birthplace, maps the imaginary history of a post-apocalyptic world by the name Peace by Isolation. With these storytelling mechanisms, Brathwaite-Shirley creates a reflection of our actual world broken and trying to heal

Collaboration at every level

THE DELUSION was not designed by one person but by a group of people. Curators, set designers, sound engineers, artists, and technologists collaborated to bring the vision to life. The game is powered by UPBGE, an open-source engine developed by and for the community. The vision world, co-designed with set designer Lydia Chan, is a blending of the sacred and the surreal. Every element has the function of Brathwaite-Shirley's vision of reviving the gallery as a place of active transformation, not passive viewing

Serpentine's continued fascination with Brathwaite-Shirley's practice has led us here. Earlier works like WE CANT DO THIS ALONE and THE LACK examined the politics and emotional life of digital art. THE DELUSION is a natural evolution and a significant step forward

An Issue That Plays Back

To complement the show, Serpentine will publish a significant book with Archive Books. Conceived in gamified interactive format and released as Brathwaite-Shirley's inaugural official monograph, the book will feature commentary from artists, thinkers, and technologists. The contributors will include curator Legacy Russell and digital culture theorist McKenzie Wark. Limited runs will be offered to collectors and those interested in further venturing into the world of THE DELUSION

Why This Work Matters Now

In a time when cultural organizations go out of their way to avoid controversy, THE DELUSION is brave enough to provoke. It urges us to think about how we talk to one another when we disagree. It creates room for discussion rather than muteness. It invites us to imagine the arts as a rehearsal space for justice, compassion, and transformation

Brathwaite-Shirley calls the project a human engine, fueled, not by code per se, but by emotion and exchange. Rather than offering escapism, THE DELUSION invites grounding. Rather than isolating, it connects

A Must See for Those Who Demand More from Art

For Londoners and visitors alike, THE DELUSION is a unique sort of cultural experience. One that's immersive, to be sure, but intimate too. One that challenges as much as it entertains. For anyone interested in the leading edge of digital art or in rich interaction in lovely spaces, this is an event not to be missed. From 30 September 2025 until 18 January 2026, Serpentine North is different. A rebuilt gallery. A dialogue initiated. A game that might change the way we look at the world

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