Conversation Starters: Suspended Time
Espacio Gallery, May 2023
This exhibition brings together a collection of new work developed over the duration of Alison’s Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice project.
Working in multiples, the exhibition brings together groups of work made in paper, porcelain, bronze and glass, immortalising conversations Alison has had with families over the last year; the community built and the comfort of shared experiences. She uses small interventions displayed in groups to portray the build-up of small conversations that become part of a larger dialogue, reflective of social practice more generally, as well as the personal and shared experiences of the neurodiverse communities that Alison has spent so much time with.
‘If we’re standing together and not alone we gather force and we’re able to build awareness. I was collectively bringing together these stories so that they became bigger and more prevalent, and it’s that feeling I want to portray in these collections of work.’
The quiet moments within the work – the smooth porcelain surfaces, the drips of glass and the hidden spaces within the bronze works – reflect the silent moments within the community; those who are selective mute, the abrupt ending of conversations, the distance sometimes felt by children and their parent/carers. Equally, the cracking of the ceramics, the weight of the bronze, and the juxtaposing materials that become warped together, shows the tension and strain expressed in many of the sessions.
Throughout the workshops, Alison invited participants to write down stories, conversations, key words or sometimes mark-making to express how they feel about their communication style. Using Japanese and Chinese calligraphy paper, Alison then dips the paper in a porcelain slip and fires it in the kiln, burning out the stories but immortalizing them in the empty spaces and the delicate impressions in the clay; a personal reflection without being revealed, as if a secret message. The resulting shape and form is a direct response to the materials in the kiln and are unpredictable, reflecting the unexpected experiences for many neurodiverse people and their families.
With thanks:
Throughout the DYCP-funded period, Alison had the opportunity to be mentored by Susan Kraus through Disability Arts
The workshops were supported by Claire Madge who runs the blog Autism in Museums, which helps parents and carers access information about quiet times to visit museums and flags up anything families should be careful about. The workshops were facilitated by Emma Tutton at the British Library, October Gallery who brought in some of their SEN school partners to participate in workshops, Marksfield Community Centre who have been particularly supportive of Alison and her boys, and Chinese Autism in Wales Support Group.
The project also allowed Alison to undertake courses in glass and bronze, working with Sam Sweet in glass, Ester Adesigbin in glass and ceramics, and Kabir Hussein (at Walnut Works) in bronze.