Closing night at A Gathering of Unasked Possibilities. (L to R) Kelly O'Brien (me), flowers from participant Rosalind J. Turner, and co-curator Judith Rodgers. Image: Jo Bushell
A Gathering of Unasked Possibilities, a week-long exhibition and series of events, recently closed. This was a joint project with my MA Uni colleague Judith Rodgers, who is completing her degree in Curatorial Practice. It was a week of rich and fruitful engagement with a range of wonderful participants.
I was very pleased to test my first Residency of Repair (pictured above), something I hope to investigate further next year. Each day of the residency at Centrespace Gallery, I attempted to repair a glass object that fell and shattered in September as part of my Degree Show.
Here’s what it looked liked during my Degree show (after it shattered):
Kelly M O’Brien, This May Be Under the Stated Weight (Aftermath). Steel, glass, paper, thread, tulle, plastic. 230 x 350 x 122 cm ©2019
A close up view of the shattered piece:
Kelly M O’Brien, This May Be Under the Stated Weight (Aftermath), detail. Steel, glass, paper, thread, tulle, plastic. 230 x 350 x 122 cm ©2019
I worked on it during the week-long exhibition. As I progressed and chatted with gallery visitors, I focused on our contemporary moment of precariousness, what’s broken, and where we go from here.
Repair in progress
Repair in progress
You can see more pictures of the exhibition on my Instagram highlights.
We can’t thank you enough for being part of our experimental project to find and create a gentle hopeful space in our fraught contemporary moment. The feedback has been generous and unexpectedly consistent that we hit a note that people seem to be seeking.
Special thanks to our wonderful and generous artists, speakers, and other contributors. And to the new friends we’ve made - thank you for your part in co-creating this time and place.