The Room that Shared
Solo Exhibition with MAMA, 2024
A solo exhibition curated by MAMA, The Room that Shared tackles the unexplored spaces of the family dynamic and transforms it into something substantive and interactive. By utilising meticulous material exploration and scrutinising the properties of both substance and kinship, this space is a physical exchange between person and object. The definition of family is clearer to some than others and this show offers the audience consideration, reflection and release. We are all home here.
How does one illustrate the relationships between kin, an energy unseen and unquantifiable, defined in black and white but experienced in every shade of grey? At its core, there is a rawness like no other: honesty, unconditional love, dysfunction, estrangement, the absolute best and worst of it all. But below the surface exists unique positions and exchanges - the bonding and bickering of sisters, the unelected matriarch or patriarch, the self-proclaimed black sheep. The turbulence of dysfunction looks different for everyone whilst the joy of a harmonious entity remains the same. Alongside the definition and structure of family remain essences hard to capture: the glow of a window at dusk, the bosom of a familiar embrace. There is a liminal space that exists between the members of a familial network and The Room that Shared is a manifestation of that space into tactile reality. Resonation is important to me to creating an emotionally authentic experience. The sculptures are designed in synergy with the human body, personifying object and injecting life to the inanimate. Each piece has a pulse, one of which the viewer is invited to feel. No sight, no sound, no sensation has gone unconsidered. With interaction encouraged and integral, the spectator becomes part of the art. How the audience move throughout the space promotes the ever-evolving nature of The Room that Shared, rebelling against the static norm of sculpture. The viewer is invited to consider the links between their movements and interactions within the space and how they move through their family. How does a body interact with each sculpture? Is it with tentativeness or hesitancy? Is it embraced with confidence and familiarity? Do the shapes feel awkward or do they fit the form of the viewer?
For no matter the quality of the ground, family is the foundation from which we grow - a constant but not always promised, there is a beauty in the vagueness of family and the restlessness of its definition.
I was awarded with the Black British Artist Grant by Samuel Ross which allowed me to pursue this particular project.
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A solo exhibition curated by MAMA, The Room that Shared tackles the unexplored spaces of the family dynamic and transforms it into something substantive and interactive. By utilising meticulous material exploration and scrutinising the properties of both substance and kinship, this space is a physical exchange between person and object. The definition of family is clearer to some than others and this show offers the audience consideration, reflection and release. We are all home here.
How does one illustrate the relationships between kin, an energy unseen and unquantifiable, defined in black and white but experienced in every shade of grey? At its core, there is a rawness like no other: honesty, unconditional love, dysfunction, estrangement, the absolute best and worst of it all. But below the surface exists unique positions and exchanges - the bonding and bickering of sisters, the unelected matriarch or patriarch, the self-proclaimed black sheep. The turbulence of dysfunction looks different for everyone whilst the joy of a harmonious entity remains the same. Alongside the definition and structure of family remain essences hard to capture: the glow of a window at dusk, the bosom of a familiar embrace. There is a liminal space that exists between the members of a familial network and The Room that Shared is a manifestation of that space into tactile reality. Resonation is important to me to creating an emotionally authentic experience. The sculptures are designed in synergy with the human body, personifying object and injecting life to the inanimate. Each piece has a pulse, one of which the viewer is invited to feel. No sight, no sound, no sensation has gone unconsidered. With interaction encouraged and integral, the spectator becomes part of the art. How the audience move throughout the space promotes the ever-evolving nature of The Room that Shared, rebelling against the static norm of sculpture. The viewer is invited to consider the links between their movements and interactions within the space and how they move through their family. How does a body interact with each sculpture? Is it with tentativeness or hesitancy? Is it embraced with confidence and familiarity? Do the shapes feel awkward or do they fit the form of the viewer?
For no matter the quality of the ground, family is the foundation from which we grow - a constant but not always promised, there is a beauty in the vagueness of family and the restlessness of its definition.
I was awarded with the Black British Artist Grant by Samuel Ross which allowed me to pursue this particular project.
.
The completion of this project wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible team of people and support which I received to bring this concept to life.
Creative Director & Maker
Shanti Bell
Curated By
MAMA
Words
Saffron Cann
Photographer
Andre Jaques
Movement Director
Ayanna Birch
Build Consultant
Oliver Williams
Gallery Photographer
Dami Vaughan
Sound
Matt Foster
Production Assistants
Rooya Rasheed
Olivia Warren
Ami Stewart
Models
Family & Friends