Solo exhibition and national park trail for Whitby artist Aphra O'Connor
It's a busy time for Whitby artist Aphra O’Connor whose work is currently being displayed across two exhibitions.
The two projects are a solo exhibition in Redcar and a public art trail commissioned by the national parks which has just been installed at the Danby Lodge Centre.
The latter features ceramic mosaics designed and created by Aphra, with wooden stands created by Gibson’s Cabinet makers in Whitby
She said: “The art trail project asks visitors to the national park site to slow down on their journey and be present in that moment in the landscape.
"These ‘moment’ designs have been created through my own journey through the site, where I paused at certain points along the trail and considered what I saw, reflected on how I felt, and what I noticed in that moment of stopping.
“I translated these thoughts into a written statement about that location which was then developed into drawings and then in clay.
"This method of generating drawings is through an evolving understanding of my own mental health.
"The ability to slow down and be aware of how you are feeling and to create something positive has been crucial in my own life, and by sharing this process I hope to connect with new audiences.’’
The trail at Danby is a permanent installation.
Out of My Mind, at Redcar Palace, is a solo show of ceramics, sculpture and 2D works that explore the relationship between creativity and neurodiversity.
There are multiple layers of reflection explored by Aphra throughout the exhibition spaces, with a focus on how her making and mental health are intertwined.
It closes on November 30.