Redcar Palace is delighted to present ‘Out of My Mind’, a solo show of ceramics, sculpture and 2d works by Aphra O’Connor that explore the relationship between creativity and neurodiversity. There are multiple layers of reflection explored by Aphra throughout the exhibition spaces, with a focus on how her making and mental health are intertwined.
‘Out of My Mind’ will open on Saturday 7th September 2024 with a private view from 12-3pm, the exhibition will then run until Saturday 2nd November 2024.
This new body of work explores what it is to exist inside a creative brain, investigating the stresses and pressures of making. Aphra examines how and why she creates, using these questions to influence the forms and collections of 3d work throughout the rooms.
The first space viewers will encounter reflects on mistakes during making, contemplating the cracks and fissures that occur in ceramics. This positive reflection on moving forward and working through pressure is explored through ceramics, drawings and photographs of cracked works. Aphra wants honesty to run throughout the show, exploring her ceramic making processes in comparison to understanding mental health.
Collecting and reusing found materials has always played an integral part in how Aphra creates, with the rush of dopamine in finding interesting objects and furniture. These forms are then developed into moulding devices for the ceramic sculpture through vacuum forming and plaster, or used as display mechanisms in the final installation.
The Moment series of work explores what it is to understand a feeling in a moment, that burst of anger, of anxiety, of happiness. Aphra captures these feelings through her drawn works, isolating elements of emotion and giving them shapes. These drawn designs are displayed alongside ‘The Moment it comes in’ a sculptural collage that unites multiple surfaces donated by friends and family focusing on the action of saving offcuts objects in case they ‘come in’.
Aphra identifies fleeting feelings in ‘Brain Noises’ a series developed over 2d and 3d works displayed in a room flooded with pink paint and neon lights. These designs aim to capture the momentary sparks of emotion, the unidentifiable and unclear spasms of happiness mixed with anxiety, a blast of guilt topped off with hunger. They are the emotions that linger in your mind that you can’t quite understand; a deeper dive into the depths of Aphra’s brain past the clearer moments and into the crevices where feelings flicker into existence. The bright pink tones aim to emulate her pink squishy brain, as well as using non-traditional lighting to create a more accessible exhibition experience.
