Recently I visited an exhibition titled ‘HOLD’ in Petersfield Museum, put together by 6plus2 Art Collective. The six artists share an interest in responding to their surroundings. Contextually, Petersfield Museum is situated in an old police station, containing authentic police cells. Because of this, Brayshaw, Tett, Boardley, Buchanan, Pollen and Jacobs decided to base their work around notions of incarceration, each having their own space to explore what this means to them individually. Brayshaw explored the depths of emotion regarding incarceration:

      ‘I was struck by feelings of anger and desire for escape and I have tried to portray that transition through those emotions’ (6plus2 Art Collective, 2017).

Pollen allowed her surroundings to influence her work in a different way, looking at DNA and the process of gathering evidence:

     ‘This body of work focuses on the minute details of fingerprints, their intricate form and unique characteristics’ (6plus2 Art Collective, 2017).

Reading the artist statements was very insightful to me as the audience, but I think looking at the work of one artist in relation to another spoke for itself. It was clear that the artists were responding to the site due to the way in which the environment complemented the work, and talking to some of the artists made me realise that the audience wouldn’t get the same impression if the same work had been exhibited in a gallery space. Intentions were communicated clearly due to the location, and the experience was immersive as a result. The shift of perspective through each artist made me realise how diverse exploration of a singular word/location can be, and by coming to realise that the environment can play a huge role in how work is communicated will influence my artistic choices in the future regarding how my own work is installed.

Robyn Jacobs work was valuable to see ‘in the flesh’ as it contained elements of immersive participation. Forensic gloves were provided, and Jacobs invited you to leaf through her work as though it was potential evidence for a case. The dimly lit cell with work displayed in folders and scattered around the walls gave an investigative impression that wouldn’t have been picked up at all if you were to simply observe Jacobs’ work through photographs. However, it’s imperative that all the work exhibited at ‘HOLD’ was seen ‘in the flesh’, due to the fundamental influence of the environment: in a gallery situation, the work wouldn’t have had the same effect due to the context of the work.

6plus2 Art Collective (2017). ARTIST STATEMENT. HOLD.