Contemporary Art Practice graduate Phoebe Anne Mackie received a Highly Commended Purchase Award. Judges enjoyed the work’s reliance on participation, noting how physically engaging viewers in the experience allows them to connect with the themes of the piece more fully.
Artist’s statement:
‘The Temporary Nature of Feeling’ – Laserjet ink prints on wafer paper (2022)
The printed works are abstracted illustrations depicting the deterioration of memory, allowing those memories to fade and for negative experiences to be forgotten by the use of water-soluble paper. Written words are incorporated into these illustrations, describing these moments and the feelings that linger.
The works are part of an immersive space, featuring a Belfast sink in the centre. Universally recognised, the ‘sink’ represents cleansing, and allows the audience to feel comfortable and interact with the art. By taking a piece of the illustrations and approaching the central space to watch it dissolve in the water-filled basin, the audience embodies time. It becomes a healing space, where viewers feel the release of emotion from within themselves.
Photography by The Gatehouse
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