Bloomberg Space

Jane and Louise Wilson

The London Mithraeum, Bloomberg SPACE commissions contemporary art that responds to the unique history of its site, which incorporates a mid-3rd-century Roman temple dedicated to the god Mithras, 7 metres below today's street level.

'Performance of Entrapment' by the artistic duo Jane and Louise Wilson, centres on 2,000-year-old oak stakes discovered during excavations for Bloomberg's European headquarters.

These stakes are believed to have once supported a crossing over the ancient River Walbrook, which flowed beside the Temple of Mithras. Using microscopic imagery, the Wilsons draw inspiration from the wood’s structure and DNA sequencing to create large-scale, visually layered artworks.

Their work also investigates parallels between two sacred sites: the Roman Temple of Mithras in London (3rd Century AD) and the Ise Jingu shrine in Japan (4th Century BC). Though geographically and culturally distant, both sites house significant relics: the head of Mithras and the Sacred Mirror of the Emperor.

The exhibition runs from 17 July until 10 January 2026.

The Brief

We were commissioned to create a film about 'Performance of Entrapment' that could be hosted on the London Mithraeum, Bloomberg SPACE website and on Bloomberg Connects.

The primary objective was to offer insights into the artists’ inspirations and creative processes to provide context for both in-person visitors and online audiences, and to tell the story of the work, from its conception and completion to its reception by the audience.

We were tasked to create a visually rich, artistic film that would imaginatively reinvent the format for documenting art in this unique space.

Our Approach

To create a visually interesting, unique film, distinct from previous videos about exhibitions in the space, our approach focused on exploring the artistic and scientific processes underpinning the artwork.

We conducted in-depth interviews with Jane and Louise Wilson to discuss their artistic approach and establish conceptual links between the London Mithraeum and the Ise Jingu shrine, which enabled us to integrate pre-existing footage created at Ise Jingu grounds.

The film also features the artists sketching, preparing the wooden sculptures, and exploring the Thames foreshore near to where the material was found, intercut with footage of the Bloomberg headquarters excavation. We captured the artists working with the microscopic imagery and DNA sequencing documentation of the wood’s structure that inspired the Wilsons' visually layered artworks, aesthetically connecting ancient materials with contemporary art and technology.

Our crew filmed the construction of the pieces at the artists' workshop, captured the artists walking through the completed exhibition at the London Mithraeum, and documented candid audience reactions on opening day.

By interweaving research, scientific documentation, Japanese cultural reference points, and the installation itself, we ensured the film was visually dynamic and offered a far more comprehensive look at the Wilsons' practice than a simple walkthrough.

The Results

The final video successfully provides a multi-layered glimpse into the Wilsons' creative and research process, establishing a visual language that is both artistic and conceptual.

The documentation of the installation itself is compelling and highly illustrative of the exhibition's key features, balanced out with process captures and pre-existing material.

The film serves as a striking testament to the Wilsons' ability to connect archaeology and contemporary art, offering viewers a profound understanding of their intentions for 'Performance of Entrapment'.

The cinematic quality of the final piece is further enhanced by thoughtful post-production choices, like musical score and sound design, imbuing the final edit with a distinct artistic sentiment.

For more information on the London Mithraeum, Bloomberg Space visit the website

For more information on Jane and Louise Wilson visit their website.

NextShoot is a London-based video production company with a global reach and a specialisation in the Arts sector. Our work features contemporary artists including Christo, Olafur Eliasson, Mark Wallinger, Michael Craig-Martin, Ron Arad, and Sonia Boyce, and we offer video production services to museums and galleries like the National Gallery, the Whitechapel Gallery, the Serpentine Galleries, Tate Britain, and the Prado. We are truly a video agency specialising in the Arts.