Exhibition
Unloved – The Forgotten Holocaust
17 Mar 2017 – 22 Mar 2017
Regular hours
- Friday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Saturday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Sunday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Tuesday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Wednesday
- 10:00 – 18:00
Address
- 6 Leonard lane
- Bristol
- BS1 1EA
- United Kingdom
Nick Hales Installation consists of a 4m * 7m floor installation of 6 million grains of white rice. These represent the 6 million children dying every year from PREVENTABLE causes.
About
Each grain of white rice is symbolic as representing a small white coffin. The rice is not fixed and is simply framed by wood. The rice has not been counted but the average weight of a grain of rice has been used and the amount is therefore determined by weight not number. At one end a meditation cushion is provided and at the other a chair for those with disabilities to reflect on the work. Pausing to reflect is encouraged by the laminated guides to the installation, especially focussing on a small area where individual ‘coffins’ can be seen, then raising the head to look at the “ocean of suffering”. At the corners and in the centre of the ends tea lights are kept burning. A western interpretation of Japanese/Zen music accompaniment is provided by Buddha and Bonsai. Around the exhibition are laminated sheets with some suggested reading explaining why situations leading to such destruction arise and what the potential solutions are as well as the factors which may increase the problems just as we think they are being solved. These are designed to stimulate the art viewers to think rather than patronise them with answers. The installation has previously been open to the public at the Walcot Chapel Gallery in Bath and has been well received with the “Comments Book” including the following which are unedited