Solo exhibition – Light Weather (12th – 16th March 2012)

Light Weather is my first solo exhibition in the Link Gallery, Manchester. The exhibition comprises of two parts: the Link is a large-scale installation, at one end of the gallery there is an abstract sky lit up with coloured flashes of light, throughout the rest of the gallery there are coloured pools of light suspended above the floor. The Foyer space shows some of my abstract light photography and an experimental light sculpture.

The installation is a complete experiment. It’s not often I have the opportunity to work in such a large and unusual space where I can let my imagination run wild (time and health and safety restrictions aside). So I have responded to the space to create an installation which is similar to a stage set. Nothing is naturalistic, the sky and pools of light are abstractions of what they represent, and are lit up with bright colours appealing to the senses. People can walk through the set, as both participants and audience, and hopefully enjoy it as a memorable interruption to their day.

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Throughout the week there have been many people who have stopped and stared up at the flashing sky suspended from the ceiling of a hexagon in the Link. People have commented that they have spent a good 10 minutes or so looking at the exhibition and listening to my specially matched playlist of music, enjoying the calming effect it has had. The Link is essentially a walkway from one building to the next, many people just walk through and only glance at what is on the walls, so it is nice to know that my work has made some people pause from where they are going. Others said they enjoyed the use of the space as a full-scale installation as this has not happened for quite some time.

Overall I’m pleased with the exhibition and how well it has been received. As I said before, it was an experiment, plus I only had a day and a half to install it all, so there are things I’d change. I only learnt these during the installation and when it was up – the main one being that the hallway windows were too light during the day, and unfortunately I was not allowed to black them out due to health and safety regulations. However, the overall look and effect was as intended (especially at night), and it has encouraged me to continue to be ambitious with my ideas and set ups.

Zen Garden

This recent site specific work is a tiny Zen garden. I say Zen garden, but in reality, even though I followed as many rules as I could to create this piece, it will never compete with the wonderful Zen Gardens of Japan. It is more about the act of raking the stones once/twice a day in order to get oneself into a meditative state and to have a place to go away from the crazy world we’re in and to concentrate on our mere existence.

This garden is placed in a natural circle formed in the grass of All Saints Park, Manchester. I put down some white gravel then decided that in accordance with my research, I should wait for the central stones (not that I knew they would be placed in the centre at the time) to find me. I had spent a little time actively looking before this decision, but found absolutely nothing. So, I let go of any anxiety towards finding these stones before the day I had to present my work, then on that very day I walked down a pathway to find three stones of the perfect size and shape for my garden. I took care to position them as I found them, not placing them standing up if they were originally on their side.

I spent about half an hour each day for a week raking the stones, come rain or shine. To many, I looked a bit mental, but it worked a treat to clear my mind and get into a meditative state. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to lose a sense of ‘self’ and just started to watch the continuous flow of the stones, like water when being raked (stones like these often represent water in typical Zen Gardens). I know half an hour is not a long time to some, but to an unseasoned person in meditation with a busy schedule (the garden was meant as a chance to take a break from busy schedules), this was enough to get in the right frame of mind for the day.

The garden was meant to be a temporary installation, but is still there at the moment, ready to be raked by anyone who would like to. For those who know me, just ask to borrow the rake I store in my studio, for those that don’t, then feel free to bring your own rake! I’d like nothing more than to come across someone using their own rake on the garden and getting something out of the repetitive motion of raking in a circle.

Thanks to Helen Wheeler who took the photo of me raking away.