Welcome to Threads Between!

"Threads Between” is a student created exhibition exploring the interwoven nature of human life, and how art connects us all together. We welcome you to sojourn for a little while, connect with the fundamental motions of human life and leave feeling a little more present.

Unravel the threads of Jackie Duckworth’s wall hanging. Bring them into your own conversations with the surrounding artworks, connect with the photography and stories submitted by the York community. Each artwork has been selected to break down the barriers of time and place.

We view art as a corrodent of time and place, dissolving the distance between us and our ancestors. Thawing away the clamour and confusion of everyday life, allowing us to meet one another on the bedrock which sustains us. A bedrock of universal human experiences of love, friendship, desire, discovery, anguish, happiness, contentment etcetera, etcetera…

Our ancestor’s gesture to us through pigment and form to commune with them today. Neanderthal hands painted on cave walls wave from the past, Neolithic fingerprints  on pottery vessels perfectly fit into our own remind us of our shared humanness. A Medieval child’s doodles of his father dance alongside our own absent-minded scribbles. Not only do they remind us to look towards our antecedents but to modern life.

We began in Africa. Migrating our way across the Levantine sands and resting our heads upon Iberian peaks. Straw and mud became shelter and safety. Children played within the palisades as mothers knitted small mittens for the incoming winter. Fathers crafted bedframes for the evening's rest and querns were churned by tired boys. Church bells rang somewhere westerly, as the Adan sang high from a brick minaret. Smog nestled its way into the cityscape as the horses’ hoofs splashed water into the grooves of a steely train track. Cars beep furiously in rush hour queues as we peer from our tower block, down into the valley of humanity. 

The artworks displayed within this exhibition bring together our experiences, allowing us to find connections between us all. A handwoven rug crafted for the university, centred around the history of the university. A pop art piece hand painted over months by a local artist. A 3D printed recreation of a Neolithic handheld sculpture depicting sexual intercourse. A delicate watercolour piece painted by a member of the Curatorial team. An AI created poster prompted by the themes meandering throughout “Threads Between”.

Through these artworks we invite you to meet us on the bedrock of humanity. Embark on unravelling the verbal and visual ways in which humanity have, and still do express our shared experiences. When moving through this space look outwardly towards the contributions of the public, whilst thinking about your own experiences. Find your mother, find your best friend, find your lover, find your great-uncle, find yourself in “Threads Between”.