As conversations continue to be had and concerns regarding our changing cultural landscape continue to be heard, our approach to how we once consumed and constructed our surroundings must continue to transform. Only through transformation can we better ourselves, only through transformation can we expect more for ourselves and others. The uncertain times we most recently have found ourselves in have highlighted the extent of which we have taken for granted our freedom of movement and access. Barriers that were seemingly never there before call attention to the systems and structures in place that are frequently used to exclude some, while permitting access to others

Revisiting Form, a Shared Experience is a series of images and sculptural objects exploring the importance of participation and the collective experience, as tools to further along our understanding of visual art as an instrument of inclusion, within our art institutions and constructed spaces. Consisting of both 2D and 3D objects, the work is realised through engaging with simplistic mediums and forms. In employing such widely used forms, the work aims to utilise a visual language that already exists in history and design regarding our collective understanding of circular motifs as tools of communication.

Across communities, the circle is widely understood to be a sacred symbol, a symbol without a beginning, without an end, but a continuous cycle. It infers wholeness and harmony and often is used to instill a sense of unity. Throughout Revisiting Form, a Shared Experience circular and curved forms act as familiar motifs, already embedded in our consciousness as signifiers of community, movement, inclusion, harmony, eternity and togetherness.

Paper sculptures are situated in The Douglas Hyde Gallery, inviting the viewer to interact with these forms throughout the space. Considering the architectural composition of the gallery, the sculptural objects playfully interact with the space, acting as framing for various viewing points of the gallery.

The imagery presented online attempts to further investigate the efficacy of the circle as a tool used to instill a calming sense of community and shared understanding. The viewer is invited to engage with the online imagery, by constructing a model of the sculptural objects using the stencil image included.

Rachael Melvin is a recent graduate of Fine Art from the Dublin School of Creative Arts at Technological University Dublin. She is a multi-disciplinary artist, realising her work through sculpture, drawing and photography. Her work explores the idea of the making and changing of space through the lens of culture and community. She is concerned with the rapid architectural changing of space throughout our communities, particularly in Dublin, of which she explores how we as people navigate through our city scape, dwelling in space for work, social, or residential purposes. She is also fascinated by the physicality of working with one’s hands, and often examines intensive manual labour, food production and preparation throughout her work as a means to connect with a sense of communal identity that spans a multitude of cultures. Most recently, her practice has allowed her to collaborate with secondary school students via sculptural workshops, exploring the importance of community engaged art practices, and art’s accessibility.