Journey – Solo Exhibition Glasgow/Adelaide 2000

The Journey exhibition was a large installation designed for a gallery space in the Lighthouse building in Glasgow. It travelled in a different format, for practical reasons, to the Jam Factory in Adelaide, Australia. The context of the exhibition was concerned with the journey we take through life, the decisions we ultimately make and the resulting consequences. In the catalogue statement I wrote, ‘By exploring personal journeys through literal narrative, these new brooches seek to evoke empathy from the wearer and viewer which is both illuminating and empowering.’ This position was reiterated by a review of the exhibition by maker/researcher Ann Marie Shillito, when referring to the materials incorporated in the work,

Their containment within the forms and symbols he uses – the crosses, hearts, house-shapes and beams – evokes a growing empathy which is grounded in universal interpretations of icons and allegory. The quirky added elements…encouraged me to interpret each piece and to delve deeper into Jack’s thought-provoking process. (Shillito 2000: 10).

The installation for Journey was designed around the ‘house’ shape. These were either solid forms on which were mounted the group titled X Marks the Spot, or small glass structures, vulnerable and transparent, yet protected and secure. Positioned against a floor to ceiling glass wall, the glass-houses afforded the viewer a totally unrestricted view across the city’s skyline, increasing this sense of fragility. They were each mounted on red and black striped poles, markers, and then on a base with wheels giving each piece the potential to be moved or pulled freely, to journey. (figs 5.98 – 6.6)