Collect and Connect

Pollen Studios and Gallery, Belfast

Jan 2017

Pollen Studios and Gallery accepted my proposal for my first solo exhibition/performance during my BA Fine Art Final year.

The work was a development from the 2nd year Catalyst show and incorporated inherited objects into made objects. Reproducing bells was the start of my pattern of ritual, repetitive making. The significance of bells was multi-layered. When describing bells we use body parts, shoulder, belly and voice. Everyone has some connection or memory of bells through school, weddings and funeral. many of the objects integrated into the bells were from Uncle George’s Garage. Uncle George passed away in 2016 and I inherited a garage full of wood, odds and ends and art materials. Many of the objects were donated to the Fine Art sculpture object store and have been included in many end of year exhibitions. He would have been delighted.

The fabric used in the performance was all the sayings and phrases created by the audience during ‘Penny for your thoughts’. I carried these thoughts for as long as I could.

Woman with dark hair wearing black clothing and a black skirt standing in front of a white wall, with bust-like structures and paper strips with writing hanging around her, and similar objects arranged on the floor in front of her.
People in black jackets standing and sitting around a laptop in a room with white walls and large windows, surrounded by scattered ceramic objects on the floor.
A woman with black hair and a black top is sitting on a chair in an art gallery, examining scraps of handwritten fabric or paper. There is a computer monitor to her right displaying an image of an interior space, with a black device and a cup on a wh
A woman with black hair wearing a black shirt and long skirt is sitting on a wooden floor, looking down while holding a torn piece of. Crumpled papers and a torn banner with pink writing are scattered around her. The background features a plain white
A woman with long black hair, wearing a dark top, is holding long strips of paper with handwritten notes or messages. She appears to be reading or examining the papers. There is a laptop in the foreground displaying a blurred image. The setting seems
A woman sitting on a chair reading a book, surrounded by scattered seashells on a wooden floor in a room with a white wall and window.
A woman with black hair wearing black clothing sitting on a wooden floor, holding a torn piece of fabric with handwritten text, with scattered fabric pieces and white ceramic objects in the background.
A woman in black clothing standing with arms extended, holding white ceramic objects on each hand, in front of a wall with hanging fabric strips with writings, surrounded by various ceramic pieces on the floor.
An art installation with various ceramic cups and bell-shaped objects scattered on a dark wooden floor. Four women observe the display, and one appears to be explaining or guiding. The environment is an indoor gallery with white walls and minimal dec
Woman with long dark hair standing with arms outstretched, holding a white cup in each hand, against a light-colored wall, with art installations hanging from her sleeves and objects on the floor.
Person in dark clothing smashing objects with a hammer in a room with white walls, broken items, and scattered debris on the floor.
A woman standing in an art installation room, surrounded by broken or discarded ceramic objects on the floor. She is facing away from the camera, wearing a long black skirt and top with glitter. Behind her is a wall with a hanging mobile with bells o
Broken white plastic cups scattered on dark floor with a large white pipe and a wall in the background, illuminated by a light source on the right.
Three golf clubs with black grips and metal shafts leaning against a white wall, with a beige toilet and a marble-like tiled floor.
Broken white ceramic cups and shavings scattered on a wooden surface, with sunlight shining on them.
Ceiling with three clamps attached to strings hanging downward, possibly for painting or hanging objects.
A line of crumpled white bells arranged on a dark surface with a white background, casting shadows on the wall behind.

Collect and Connect was an interim show before graduation in 2017. The exhibition was developed from a socially engaged performance made during the Belfast International Festival of Performance Art (BIFPA) in 2016 connecting with work developed in the studio after a family bereavement. During BIFPA 2016 I set up a social corner in the foyer of the Belfast campus in Ulster University. Sitting with a sewing machine, I invited participating arts, students and members of the public to gift me with words and phrases by writing them on strips of torn fabric. As we sat talking, I free embroidered the words on to the material. The exhibited bells were a combination of porcelain and wax, whole and damaged, combined with mixed media including silver leaf, wool, hair, fixtures and fittings. After the death of a family member, I inherited a garage full of all the oddities, tools and objects he had collects over years. The objects told different stories, giving the silent bells a voice. I gathered the gifts of the words, pinning the torn fabric to my sleeves. Picking up voiceless bells, I supported the silence with the heavy load of the words dragging on my arms. Discarding the weight of the words and breaking the mould for the silent bells, I was able to look for and find my own voice and move on.

Documentation: Jayne Cherry. Editing: Zara Lyness.

Documentation of the Penny For Your Thoughts performance made during the 2016 Belfast International Festival of Performance Art. This performance was made in the foyer of the college and the aim was to create a space between performances where artists and the public could share thoughts and comments about art and life in general. I asked for participants to write their thoughts on strips of fabric that I free embroidered as we talked. The atmosphere in the space was very relaxed and the conversations rambled from Blackpool donkeys to favourite foods.

Documentation & editing: Zara Lyness,