Passage @ The Byre: Stine Bidstrup, Æsa Björk, Matt Durran, Jeffrey Sarmiento, Petr Stanický

This body of work was influenced by the frustrations, and sometimes pleasures, of journeys which are as unique as they are universal. For me, the most significant (and longest) trip of the past 18 months was to visit The Byre. My arrival was punctuated by the switchback roads along coastal cliffs of the Northern Scottish Highlands. It is an environment of grey stone and often sky, against which I’ve pitched a colorful response. Inspired by the childhood game Snakes and Ladders, this body of work is an arrangement of vibrant snakes whose contours have been modeled after journeys taken during the pandemic. My drive to Latheronwheel, Scotland, is recorded in 16 sections that, when placed nose to tail, could navigate a viewer north from my starting point in Sunderland, England. Arrangements of snake-shaped loops in glass commemorate idle time spent on hikes and cycle rides as recorded on the fitness app Strava. Ancient versions of the game Snakes and Ladders refer to reaching spiritual paradise, and Victorian iterations pit virtues against vices in the race up and down the board. Returning to the site reminds me of life’s triumphs and failures, booms, busts, isolation, and displacement. With this work I’ve added hopes and dreams of transformation and transcendence.