The Exhibition

‘Re:New Wallace #6’ is the sixth in a series of collaborative cultural projects involving a Northern Irish artist and the Wallace Collection in London. This is an extraordinary collection encompassing paintings and decorative art objects collected from around the world by Sir Richard Wallace and his predecessors. The project provided a residency opportunity to visual artist Emma Whitehead to carry out research about/at the collection and create an innovative artistic response to it.

The artist, inspired by the collection, explored the compulsion to measure time, distance, the seasons, the stars, and the need to make sense of the connections that intersect with our lives and makes us tie them down with evermore precise and minute sectionality. Her fascinating works are now featured in the exhibition.

The exhibition thus showcases and celebrates the artist’s talent, original approach and unique works. It also celebrates Sir Richard Wallace’s historical and cultural legacy, and his connection with Co. Antrim and Lisburn in particular, where he was the local MP, benefactor and land-owner.

Artist Statement

The opportunity to research The Wallace Collection led me in so many directions; it was a delight to work in such a rich environment and delve into the knowledge of the archives, curators and staff. Wallace, named the most fortunate man of his day, provided a symbolic anchor for me to explore the sea of his connections – hereditary, familial, professional and charitable. Researching the artworks in the collection and their physical journey through the hands of people over time from conception, production, sale to resale and eventually settling in,  exploring the collection allowed me to form a framework to explore the stories behind the façade.

Inspired by this, I explored the compulsion to measure time, distance, the seasons, the stars, and the need to make sense of the connections that intersect with our lives and makes us tie them down with evermore precise and minute sectionality. Time has changed from when it was primarily a religious matter, the hour's length was arbitrary and the almanack framed seasonality. Nevertheless, we continue to measure a person's worth, whether it derives from the serendipity of a fortunate birth or the tragedy of a lifespan cut short through the exploitation of their time spent in dangerous labour for the benefit of the lucky. 

And throughout it all, gold pervades the collection as it flows over the surface and through the history of the lives behind the work. The Avignon clock's beautiful artifice and the Astronomical clock's spectacular movement sent me to nature to explore motifs such as the ant's industry, the beetle's determination and the spider's artistry to pull to the foreground the work of the artisan.

About the Artist

Emma Whitehead is a self-taught, mixed-media visual artist specialising in innovative embroidery techniques using various materials. She re-discovered a passion for surface embroidery after exploring the possibilities of other mediums and has tested the limits of needle and thread for over 25 years. Based in County Down, she is co-director of the artist-led gallery Top Floor Art Gallery & Open Studios and runs the TFA Studio Group. In 2016 she completed the Lumen Residency in Italy, exploring the themes of light and astronomy. In 2018 she spent a week training with The British Horological Institute learning the mechanics of time and how to strip and rebuild a hunter watch piece. In 2019, she received the IDA Award from the University of Atypical for research & development of new ways of working adapted to disability. These opportunities have enabled her to delve into the themes of time, space, memory and personal history, which permeate her work. 

Workshop

There is an embrodery workshop wth the artist accompanying this exhibition. Find more details and book a place on the What’s On page.