Touching Distance

Touching Distance was a project funded by Creative Scotland which considered barriers, blockages and devices which split space in various ways.

Exhibition Narrative

Developed long before the social protection and distancing measures of Covid-19, my art practice and research has, over the last 5 years, related to the forms and functions of fences, grilles and barriers. Through projects and exhibitions in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, London and Berlin, painted ‘barrier works’, which used repeated motifs of chain links, security fences and woven protective materials have been investigated and displayed in various ways.

Running through these distinct bodies of work has been a desire to better understand how individuals view their position in space and how this view is shaped, transmitted or constructed in differing ways. A solid structural wall gives a message of containment and performs its function differently than a more open chain link fence does. A fabric weave can curtain off a space, and an expanding grille allows for a moveable barrier to be created. Although these barriers are have variation in terms of their aesthetic form and their main function, they have at their core ideas of keeping separate, of space splitting and they exist, to some extent, to divide space.

Touching Distance is a visual exploration of how we keep spaces beyond ‘touching distance’ in various ways. This project is timely in that it appears to be more relevant than ever in the contemporary era of distancing and safety measures, of personal barriers, bubbles, screens and the seismic changes to our appreciations of separate spaces which have altered our individual personal everyday lives.

Culminating in an exhibition in 2021, this practice-based research project is supported by Creative Scotland, awarding funds from the National Lottery.

Exhibition Reflection

The exhibition featured a curated selection of ambitious new expanded field works and intricate oil paintings. These each played explicitly with notions of distance and proximity in various ways. The exhibition opened on the first day on which local lockdowns were lifted in Scotland. As such, it attracted high visitor numbers, who booked specific time slots for solo/ small group viewing. This personalised viewing experience, connected with the premise of the research project - looking at closeness, isolation, touching and personal positioning in space.

www.touching-distance.com