Mind the Gap by Alison Lam
Opening Date: February 20, 2025
Private View: 6-8pm (with live performance at 6:30pm)
Exhibition Dates: February 20 - March 2, 2025
Venue: SEESAW, 86 Princess St, Manchester M1 6NG
What does overwhelm mean to neurodivergent individuals? What is the experience like before and after moments of overwhelm?
These questions lie in the centre of Alison Lam’s debut immersive exhibition Mind the Gap in Manchester opening on February 20.
From April to November, Alison worked closely with neurodivergent communities across the UK, hosting art workshops to explore these themes. The collaborative works created during these workshops became the foundation for the exhibition. Through this process, overwhelm emerged not just as a challenge but as a nuanced experience with the potential for growth and transformation.
When asked about a personal learning from this project, Alison shared that she is more neurodivergent than she had thought. Unfamiliar places, meeting strangers, and navigating changes can feel overwhelming, often leading her to mask discomfort with practised politeness. This realisation gave her work an added dimension, a sense of vulnerability that is sometimes overlooked even by close ones.
Mind the Gap refers to the space between chaos and calm, between neurotypical and neurodivergent experiences and how these forces coexist. It bridges the personal and collective narratives, reframing overwhelm as both a challenge and an opportunity for growth and connection.
Featuring multimedia installations created from the workshops, the exhibition takes visitors on a sensory journey from calm to chaos and back again. The lotus, a recurring symbol in Alison’s work, represents resilience and rebirth. Like the lotus blooms beautifully from muddy waters, neurodivergent individuals rise above cycles of overwhelm with strength and grace.
Mind the Gap opens on February 20 6-8pm at SEESAW Space, Manchester, featuring a live performance by Bettina Fung | 馮允珊 at 6:30.
