On Reflection: the complex meaning of memory

We're excited to present a very different kind of exhibition this spring – one in which you're invited to contribute a memory or two.

Memory defines our place in the world. Shared memories bind communities together, culturally, socially and politically. Personal memories connect to our granular sense of identity and define who we are.

On Reflection is part of Al Dix's 10 year creative interrogation of ageing. As he moves through his 8th decade, from 70 to 80, he is exploring the meaning of physiological and psychological change, human frailty and his inevitable mortality.

On Reflection is an interactive gallery exhibition that explores the nature of memory and identity. Collected moments are turned into ephemeral strips of ticker tape that form a tunnel of years down to 1948 (the year Al Dix was born) down which visitors can walk.

Punctuated by headline events, the exhibition becomes a place where we can reflect upon the memories that have made and shaped who we are. There are typewriters (remember those?) in the gallery where visitors can type out their own contributions and add them to the On Reflection collection.