The artist twins Jane and Louise Wilson are presenting a new exhibition, "Performance of Entrapment," at London Mithraeum Bloomberg Space from 17 July 2025 to 1 January 2026. The show features 2,000-year-old oak stakes unearthed during excavations by the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola) at Bloomberg's European headquarters between 2012 and 2014. These timbers, dated to AD50-80, were preserved in the waterlogged conditions of the lost Walbrook river valley. The Wilsons also incorporate films and layered works, including images from scanning electron microscopy of the ancient wood.
The exhibition matters because it transforms archaeological byproducts—timbers that would otherwise be discarded—into contemporary art, offering a direct, tactile connection to Roman London. The timbers provide rare evidence of early Londinium's infrastructure and population shifts, from Gaulish settlers to native Britons. By giving these objects a second life in an art context, the show bridges archaeology, history, and contemporary practice, highlighting how material remnants can inspire new creative interpretations and public engagement with the city's hidden past.