The digital child: how tech is changing play – in pictures
A new exhibition at the National Galleries of Scotland, "Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror," explores how computers and digital technology have reshaped childhood, learning and play since the mid-1990s. The show brings together more than 50 works by Scottish digital photographic artist Wendy McMurdo, including previously unseen photographs and rarely shown digital animations, tracing the arc from early classroom computing to today's internet-connected devices and the emerging influence of AI on young people's lives.
The exhibition spans works made between 1995 and 2018, beginning with the introduction of the BBC micro computer into early-years education and continuing through to widespread use of internet-linked devices. McMurdo, who trained at Edinburgh College of Art and cites influences including Henry Raeburn's "The Skating Minister" and sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi, has taught in Dundee and now lectures at Falmouth University; she was the first woman photographer elected to the Royal Scottish Academy, whose bicentenary the show coincides with. The exhibition runs at the National Galleries of Scotland until 25 October.
- Wendy McMurdo exhibition examines tech's impact on childhood since 1995.
- Show features 50+ works, including unseen photos and animations.
- Runs at National Galleries of Scotland until 25 October.
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The Digital Mirror exhibition, staged by the National Galleries of Scotland, looks at how computers and digital devices have changed the way children play, learn and grow up since the mid-1990s. It brings together more than 50 works, including previously unseen photographs and rarely shown animations, by the Scottish artist Wendy McMurdo, who has spent decades photographing children alongside emerging technology, from early classroom computers to today's internet-connected gadgets.
The pieces on show span 1995 to 2018, starting with the introduction of the BBC micro computer into early years education and moving through to the near-universal presence of connected devices in children's lives. McMurdo trained at Edinburgh College of Art, has taught in Dundee and now lectures at Falmouth University, and was the first woman photographer elected to the Royal Scottish Academy, whose 200th anniversary the exhibition coincides with.
The show is significant partly because it offers a visual record of how rapidly technology has reshaped childhood over roughly 25 years, and partly because it touches on questions, now sharpened by the rise of artificial intelligence, about what that pace of change means for young people. It runs at the National Galleries of Scotland until 25 October.