Out of Place - Exhibition at Nunnsyard Gallery

Reflection 

The materials that were brought together for the ‘Out of Place’ exhibition were of different molecular compositions and yet found commonality through the dialogue they exchanged with one another. This was most notable through the way they asked and answered questions that were raised by other objects. Elements of rust were offset by the smooth delicate curves of fine white plaster. The outline of the works resembled the incline and plummets of hills, which connected the work once again with the rich diversity of the natural landscape. These elements were just a few of the tactical devices that were engaged to create a space that would transform the viewer away into another place.From the start we had one objective in mind; to make a space that was simultaneously interactive and dormant. It was that objective that provoked us to split the gallery space in half, on one side three of us would us the space to display work that was material focused, from process, and out of place. On the other side, two performance based artists would engage spectators with a more hands on approach, using raw charcoal to draw, smudge and express. The areas divided created a slight tension within the space, as the objects from the gallery space looked out into the street. Many passers by would stop and look into the space, but as it held no secrets they would continue to walk on past once they had absorbed enough of its content. It was the interactive side that really drew people in off of the street, despite putting up posters and sending out invitation emails, the majority of the people that came to see the exhibition were strangers to it's existence. This meant that they were coming into it with open minds. I found that the majority of people that entered the space had children that dragged them in off of the street. I feel that now armed with that insight I would use that to my advantage next time I were to show work there. This is the first time I have exhibited in such a public venue, and I feel the process of collaboratively doing this show in a group made it a smoother experience for all of us.