Amartey Golding
‘Bring me to heal’ by Amartey Golding one of the many exhibitions viewed in Glasgow, this amazing exhibition showed a connection between photography, film and textile. The work enlightens the audience about his mixed heritage and shows rituals of healing. We first see images, which moves to a hand crafted garment made of human hair, a sight we don’t often see, this ornate garment which was created in collaboration with Kevin Fortune where they designed the intricate piece with afro hair styles and including body art of the ancient Britons. The piece is a symbol of care, the process of creating shows this clearly, thousands of peoples hair could be in this work crafted together in a collective healing by the makers.
The garment itself can be quite uncomfortable to look at and experience at first but once you learn the story it becomes an object of hope and dedication as well as a suit of armour almost. The piece offers a look at the trauma from the past, subconsciously and consciously that past affects us all. Golding creates a character that for him helps to represent the country in one body. His work is all about emotions while also creating an environment that the audience can experience. From Goldings work I am going to try and make work that creates an experience when viewing rather than a piece of work an audience just walks past.
Ailbhe Ni Bhriain
Ailbhe Ni Bhriain experiments with time whilst combining film, tapestry, print and installation work. The exhibition draws on disorientation in which what we all experience as familiar is re imagined in a destabilised future. She uses a medical site which is now unused and submerges the building in water. The videos shown are dreamlike and mysteriously compress what we know places to be, the work gives us a glimpse of the environmental aftermath. The work is based on a book by scientist J. W. Dunne, it outlines a belief on precognitive dreams. The work addresses how unsettled the world is with climate change while giving us a visual representation of uncertainty.
The tapestry pieces are captivating, looking from a distance a perfect photograph is seen however once you start taking steps towards the large tapestry you see the reality of woven images. I want my viewers to be immersed in my work and see new angles when they move from one end to another. I would like them to feel attached to it in someway, whether they have experienced the same sensations or if they have memories of the seaside. From a wider perspective everyone can relate to the work as we all have memories whether they be new or faded.
