Liam Young: World Machine
Venture into an extraordinary future in the artist and director’s mesmerising film, where a planetary supercomputer has transformed Earth into a machine.
In this visually striking science-fiction film artwork, artist Liam Young confronts the explosive growth of AI and what this surge might demand of us and the Earth.
Blending real-life footage with stunning CGI, World Machine imagines a future where a planetary supercomputer emerges, weaving Earth’s surfaces into its machinery. Valleys turn into circuits, salt flats become processors, rivers turn into flows of power.
Fresh from its premiere at the Barbican’s In Other Worlds exhibition, World Machine asks if we can reshape the planet for new technologies without repeating the destruction of the past.
Looking at the potential for vast wind and solar farms to power AI data centres, the film invites you to think about how these technologies might co-exist with the Earth, rewilding the landscape in a way that finds a balance between technological progress and environmental stewardship.
Liam Young is a designer, director and BAFTA-nominated speculative architect who operates in the spaces between design, fiction and futures. His visionary films and speculative worlds are both extraordinary images of tomorrow and urgent examinations of the environmental questions facing us today.
World Machine was commissioned by Barbican and Arts Science Centre and premiered as part of the In Other Worlds exhibition at Barbican on display from May to September 2026, before embarking on an international UK tour, supported by BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.
Creative Intelligence is commissioned and produced by the Southbank Centre. Curated with PACT – Planetary Art Culture Technology.
Need to know
Designed and directed: Liam Young
VFX supervisor: Alexey Marfin
Graphic design: Neasden Control Centre
Music: Ben Frost, Eleanor Jawurlngali
Environment design: Andrew Hu
Matte painter: Attilio Bonelli
Director of photography: LA Alexey Marfin
Gaffer: Nathan Rupp
Performers: Sara Simon
Director of photography: Singapore Lincoln Yeo
LA producer: Tanita Enders, Ala’a Amer
Production company: Semasser
Special effects: Runs With Scissors FX
Pyrotechnic supervisor: Simon White
Pyrotechnician and performer: Kris Jaeckin, Austin Yzaguirre
LA PA: Haochen Xu
Consultants: Thea Riofrancos, Tamara Kneese
Commissioned by: Barbican and Arts Science Centre
Thanks to Infineon Technologies: Semiconductor & System Solutions
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
12 Sep 2026, 12 noon – 7.30pm
13 Sep 2026, 10am – 7.30pm
Run time
8 hours (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
Free – no ticket required
Concessions
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Refunds and exchanges
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For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
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Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
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Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.