Making the Switch

London – The Tate Modern has released an interactive video exploring the building’s past and future.

• States of Matter is a dark, challenging short film from Tate Modern that introduces its new building
• The film features an interactive interface and soundtrack by post-punk legends Sigur Rós

The release marks the opening of Switch House, Tate Modern’s new £260m (€328m, $366m) gallery and events space, designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron, which sits like a pyramid above the existing structure.

States of Matter, the latest project from Tate’s content team in association with Bloomberg, is an interactive video that explores the building’s industrial past, and spiritual and creative future.

Viewers can control the perspective of the film, made with production company House of Greenland, using their keyboard to switch between four narratives: liquid, solid, air and plasma.

‘Lots of people have spoken about the architecture, but it is our remit to be more experimental,’ Tate head of content, Bloomberg and special projects, Susan Doyon tells LS:N Global. ‘With the opening of Switch House, it seemed like the perfect time to create a fictional, abstract view of the building.’