ABSTRACT

Rachel Fitzpatrick is a designer and maker working at the interfaces of art design and social practice.  This exhibition explores the artists reconnection with creativity, colour and tacit making memories after recovery from neurological disorder. The work within this gallery explores the artists personal journey reconnection back into creativity, which initially began with making but with an absence of confidence in colour.  The pieces explore this reconnection with colour through making, music and storytelling with some pieces taking inspiration from stories depicted in native folk songs. 

REFRAMING installation charts a cyclical journey of recovery and transformation after acquired brain injury.  It has been inspired and created in collaboration with a group of people who attend Brain Injury Matters. Over several months Rachel facilitated workshops with these individuals developing a way to create origami ‘brains’ for the installation. Various materials and colours were experimented with while exploring the origami techniques however it was decided to predominately use bright coloured paper in the final piece.   The impact of the difficulties and challenges acquired brain injury has on life was discussed and acknowledged during the sessions, however it was agreed it was more important to embrace moving forward.  Therefore origami pieces created using white, black or foiled paper were mostly omitted in the final installation.

The installation is created in an infinity loop of origami representing a journey of reframing life after acquired brain injury.  The journey begins using green and blue coloured paper suspended on linen thread representing the community formed by by Brain Injury Matters. We then invite the eye to travel into other bright and positive colours representing positive memories and experiences.  The installation travels back again into our ‘support colours’ of green and blue to regain confidence or to champion others on the similar re-framing journeys in a never ending transformational loop. 

All the work for this exhibition has been kindly supported by the Arts Council of NI through the National Lottery.

Photography Credit | Neil Harrison