Roy Nachum and Timbaland Take Us Behind 'Maestros and the Machines'
An intimate look into Mercer Labs’ latest show.
Mercer Labs is officially opening the doors to its latest immersive exhibition, Maestros and the Machines. Led by co-founder and multidisciplinary artist Roy Nachum, the show is grounded in the immortality of art, reimagining works from history’s greats through the tools and technology of today.
Housed at their 36,000-square-foot homebase in lower Manhattan, the exhibition features larger-than-life installations, infinity rooms, pool 360-degree projections and responsive robotic sculptures, inviting audiences to step in and beyond the gilded frame with works shift and react in real time.
Expanding on the conceptual ambition, 4D soundscapes serve as guiding lights, shaping the emotional rhythm of the room-to-room experience. Mercer Labs enlisted pioneering producer Timbaland to bring the aural dimension to life, filling the space with a cinematic score, woven with operatic swells and atmospheric textures.
Ahead of the opening of Maestros and the Machines, we sat down with Nachum and Timbaland to talk about merging mediums, their collaborative synergy and what it means to make art in the age of machines. Read on for the full conversation and head to Mercer Labs’ site for details on the show.
Mercer Labs
Mercer Labs
Can you tell us the story of how you two first met?
Timbaland: We met years ago through a good friend of mine. I started seeing Roy’s work before he started blowing up, from a lot of artists who invested in him early. A while ago, he was telling me about the idea for this museum and saw that I’m heavy on technology. He invited me to check out the space, and now we’re here.
Roy Nachum: Growing up, I always looked up to Timbaland. The way he approaches music and sound is so inspiring. To me, he’s a living legend, almost like a massive sculpture. When we first met, I was nervous just to be next to him.
T: Same for me. Roy was always doing things that nobody else was. I work well with people like him, people who see the world differently. It allows for this amazing synergy of art and music.
Mercer Labs
Mercer Labs
Mercer Labs
What was the process for developing the visuals and sounds for the show?
T: The beauty about working together is that Roy’s work really speaks to me, even without all the moving parts. He sent me renders, and I gave him variations of what I envisioned for each room. That doesn’t happen to me with just any picture, but he understands how I see his art.
RN: When I received the sounds from Tim, I could see a story — it was emotional. The feeling from those sounds moved me and helped me bring the visuals to life. That was a great moment because you give and you get, and you never know what the final product will be, but in this case, it opened my mind. It was really amazing.
Both of you share an optimism and curiosity for emerging technologies. How has working with these tools shaped your respective approaches to your work?
RN: As artists, time is so precious. We have so much to bring to this world, and time flies. Technology can help us execute and work with the rhythm of today – that’s what this museum is for. I think it’s a good thing to use your tools to get more, see more, and create more. We only have one life.
T: When I try to explain modern technology to people, I get eggs thrown in my face. I get it, we’ve been trained to think one way, and so it’s hard to untrain your mind. But now, people come and wipe off the egg because they’ve learned that it’s not a threat, but a tool.
“Taste is key. Technology doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have taste.”
Taste is key. Technology doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have taste. If you’re an artist, your image isn’t going to look “AI-generated” because you know how to work the machine. We live in a prompting world, but if you don’t have the eye or natural ability, my prompt means nothing to you.
I’m not creating anything new, I’m just telling you to see things in a new light: unplug your mind and plug it back up in a different way.
RN: I understand that AI is not for everybody, and that’s okay. My best friend growing up, he’s a photographer. We took photos together, and even though we were in the same place, his turned out incredibly, while mine looked like shit. Eventually, time passed, and digital cameras came, but he didn’t want to touch them. I was urging him to try it because why not? I’m not saying this shift was a good or bad thing, but I’m interested in raising a question of possibility.
Mercer Labs
Mercer Labs
Mercer Labs
What was the most rewarding aspect of this collaboration, whether it be an experience, artwork or general takeaway?
T: For me, this is a dream come true, and we’re the first to do it. Just seeing this come to light and starting this project, that’s what I’m most excited about. We talked about this two years ago, and Roy reached out to me three weeks ago. It only took me one day to compose all this. The sounds, they all came from my mind, but I just have to know how to use technology to pump my thoughts.
RN: As artists, there are mistakes that we’re looking to have, right? You’re doing something, and then, all of a sudden, it doesn’t go as planned. But when you have taste, you know the right direction to pivot in. Everybody can hold a camera, but it’s very rare that someone’s a good photographer.
