The ALL SEEING EYE
My first solo public exhibition piece, All Seeing Eye, took place at Stryx gallery between the 1st March and the 31st May 2024. The work amalgamated our relationship with consumerism, with Gaze theories (Mulvey, Urry, Foucault), to create an installation that watched over the Jewellery Quarter high street....
The ‘All seeing eye’ is a symbol which has featured throughout history in many different cultures and societies. It has often been used in North America and Russia symbolically on money or seals associated with power, and is typically used by patriarchical systems and societies. It represents the omnipresence of God, watching the action of humanity and serves as a reminder ‘we are being watched’.
As the shop looks back at us; flipping the usual Gaze of consumers viewing products, we become the product of our society, raising questions about our relationship with money, where we spend it and what we buy.
During the residency, I experimented with various compositions and colours , as well as experimentations with Latin text. As I got to know the gallery and two directors, Carolina and Anna, and their vision better, it became apparent to me that their use of space and place with Stryx was highly feminine in nature; shared rather than owned, supported rather than authorised, co-operated rather than dominated. This directly correlated with my prior research on space and the feminine, through philosophical ideas explored by Doreen Massey and Luce Irigaray. For that reason, it was important to me to develop an eye which was feminine, almost maternal, in nature. My final eye, I hope, depicted a maternal presence, watching with guidance, rather than judgment, over the audience. The Gaze of another can be oppressive and consuming, I hoped to make the 'virtual' gaze of my All Seeing eye socially conscious and affirming in nature.
The window projection installation ran alongside 2 workshops; one for adults and one for children, as well as interventions within the cafe space itself, such as myself working in the cafe, an activity for children and an artist's talk and Private view event.
adeste nobiscum. adorate ad aram artis atque coffeae. date nobis operam. date nobis intentionem. date nobis pecuniam. dabimus vobis comitatem. dabimus vobis spem. aperite animum. ianua nostra aperta est.
Exhibition events:
Saturday 6th April 12-2pm: Kids workshop, Origami eyes
Saturday 19th April time 3-5pm: Private view and artist's talk
Saturday 18th May 12-2pm: Adults workshop, All Seeing Eye jewellery workshop.