The digital child: how tech is changing play – in pictures

From the early days of computers and the internet, Wendy McMurdo has let tech infuse her photography. Now, in her largest exhibition yet, she looks at its impact on the future generationRobotics … The Somnambulist, 1995Wed 19 Aug 2026 02.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 19 Aug 2026 07.05 EDTBoy With Bubble, The Science Museum, London, 2000 Digital photographic artist Wendy McMurdo reflects on childhood, the digital world, learning and make-believe in a new exhibition, The Digital Mirror, which is part of the Edinburgh art festival. Featuring more than 50 works, the show includes never-before seen photographs as well as several rarely seen digital animations. Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror, National Galleries of Scotland, runs until 25 OctoberThe Robot Workshop (iii), 2012 McMurdo has been using computers and digital tools in photography from the early days of computers and the internet. This show presents groundbreaking work by the artist, made between 1995 and 2018, exploring the evolving role of computers in children’s livesAlgorithmic Girl (i) 2013With the digital landscape changing faster than ever, the exhibition looks at how technology is affecting learning and playThe Iceberg 2020McMurdo: ‘It’s been a fascinating journey bringing together the works that make up The Digital Mirror for the current NGS show. The show explores the impact of the screen on children’s lives and is made up of works produced from 1995-2018. Beginning with the earliest introduction of the BBC micro computer into early-years education through to the widespread use of internet-linked devices, this has been a long-form project for me’Girl With Bears, Royal Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1999‘The impact of screen culture,’ says McMurdo, ‘has come to prominence with the recent introduction of legislation banning access to certain platforms. It’s been fascinating to share this work now with a new generation of visitors. Many of the ideas in the work resonate with those in whose lives AI will now play a largely unknown part’The Somnambulist, 1995 Growing up in Edinburgh and attending Edinburgh College of Art, McMurdo became a regular visitor to galleries and museums. She was influenced by key works in Scotland’s national art collection such as Sir Henry Raeburn’s painting Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch (The Skating Minister) and the sculptural work of Leith-born artist Eduardo Paolozzi The Robot Workshop (ii), 2012 The artist has taken inspiration from the past to create photographic works such as Avatar (i) and the Robot Workshop series. Skating Minister and several Paolozzi sculptures will be displayed in the exhibition alongside McMurdo’s photographsBen With Mask, Summerfield House, 1997Alongside McMurdo’s work, including a newly configured moving image projection, the exhibition shows other artworks that have influenced McMurdo Girls With Ball, The Science Museum, London (contact sheet 4), Contact sheets 1997-2007McMurdo’s contact sheets reveal some of the technology and processes she has evolved to generate her own dreamlike imagery. Her works often start as a result of workshops. From multiple tests and countless variations, new bodies of work then emergeThe Ghost, 2013McMurdo has been a lecturer in Dundee and now teaches photography at Falmouth UniversityAvatar (i), 2008This exhibition coincides with the bicentenary year of the Royal Scottish Academy, to which McMurdo was the first woman photographer to be elected. All images courtesy of the artist and the Patricia Fleming Gallery, Glasgow.