The Nerve Rack was originally conceived as a site-specific installation for the former Ushaw Seminary in County Durham. This life-size mechanical figure of an eagle was installed in the chapel of St. Cuthbert’s Church, positioned directly in front of a 19th-century eagle sculpture by Augustus Pugin.

The juxtaposition of the mechanical eagle with Pugin’s handcrafted bronze sculpture creates a striking dialogue between two distinct visual languages. Rather than simply opposing machine and tradition, the installation invites reflection on the power of suggestion and the ways in which images shape perception, influence belief, and construct narratives. The mechanical eagle, animated yet impersonal, embodies the persuasive force of technological systems and mediated experience, while the Pugin eagle, rooted in historical craftsmanship and religious symbolism, evokes continuity, tradition, and cultural memory. Together, the two figures encourage viewers to consider the complex relationship between history and modernity, technology and belief, and the enduring role of visual symbols in shaping collective understanding.