Mid Pennine Arts art+people+places

Kit of Parts was the first exhibition in a series of site-responsive commissions which began at Mid Pennine Gallery and moved off-site in Autumn 2010 to launch a new Pennine Lancashire wide programme.

How much does the architecture and history of our local buildings influence us? Jo Ball was commissioned to respond to the architecture and history of Mid Pennine Gallery which was situated in the basement of Burnley Mechanics Theatre, an historic 19th century building in the centre of Burnley. Kit of Parts drew attention to the architecture of the building, which had largely been concealed by a ‘white box’ gallery. Jo created a ‘living’ space where experimentation, play and risk-taking meant that her installation could develop organically - a real process of discovery for the artist and the visitor.

Kit of Parts began in 2007. The kit is used to explore each venue that the artist works with, taking in walls, floor and ceiling in an almost forensic manner. Found, bought and fabricated items – both natural and manmade, are housed in hand constructed boxes made from recycled cardboard, silk thread and cotton velvet.

Kit of Parts featured boxes which included everything from cat’s whiskers to brass grandfather clock pulleys. Sometimes the objects lived alone; sometimes they were grouped with similar items.

With the placement of the boxes at ground level, viewers had to bend down to discover the contents of the kit, lowering themselves to the height of a child. The boxes exhibited a gentle absurdity, as much as they were made to protect they were not particularly robust. The composition of the installation helped generate a feeling of care and wonder, a sense of discovery as the viewer navigated the space and an instinct to look more slowly and deeply than in everyday life.

Jo Ball is a visual artist based in London. She holds a BA in Fine Art (2002) from Edinburgh College of Art and an MFA (2008) from Concordia University, Montréal, Québec. Her work has been included in numerous exhibitions and is held in private and public collections within Canada and Europe.  Further information on Jo can be found on her website.