A Glimmer in Art Exchange

So much of the content we consume on screens and in real life can be a trigger for us. A trigger which has the power to spiral our emotions and cause pain. We hear so much about triggers that we start to turn to the complete opposite for escapism and to experience moments of pure joy. These moments are known as glimmers.

Glimmers have inspired the exhibition Glimmer (15 November 2024 to 1 February 2025) in Art Exchange, curated by Jess Twyman, and supported by funding from Arts Council of England and University of Essex Alumni and Friends. 

Artists in Glimmer

Glimmer is a community led project which creates a platform for artists who explore these transient moments that fleetingly enter our lives – and that we’re tempted to grab onto. 

Often sparked by something that returns us to familiar childhood memories, the artists who have been selected to feature in Glimmer reveal the inner worlds and safe spaces we return to. From YouTube dreamscapes of enchanted bedrooms, to utilising AI to recreate childhood memories, the works in this show reveal the complexities of our inner worlds and how glimmers of them interact with our everyday lives.

It is from these safe spaces that we can critique the world around us – such as questioning manifestations of femininity within the gaming world, interrogating black geographies and finding a home for queer desires.

Glimmer includes a new commission by artist Sian Fan and film, photography and sculptures by Daisy Blower, Maisie Cousins, Dion Kitson, Farah Al Qasimi and Urara Tsuchiya.

This exhibition was made possible by the kind support of the Arts Council of England. Additional support has been gratefully received from Alumni and friends of the University of Essex.

New commission by Sian Fan

Glimmer includes a new commission by artist Sian Fan, entitled Lure.

A three-screen videogame-based installation reflecting upon manifestations of femininity within virtual spaces. Lure explores the various ways in which female identities surface, remixing a complex array of references from Tumblr to Pokémon, TikTok to ASMR, and NPCS to Anime. The work interrogates the traditionally masculine nature of virtual arenas, subverting this stereotype to instead render hyper-feminine depictions that are both specific and expansive. Lure draws upon the artist’s own experience of feeling unwelcome in virtual environments and of her awareness of those spaces ‘not being meant for you’. The work meditates on this state of discomfort, and in defiance counters it with unapologetically girlish imagery, objects, and ethos.

The work critically reflects upon the fine line between agency and exploitation, beauty and objectification, and representation and tokenisation. It seeks to acknowledge the light and the dark prevalent in the creation, depiction and consumption of virtual feminine characters and considers how experiencing these plays into the formation of one’s own identity.

The work manifests as three large portrait screens, positioned like a set of vanity mirrors. In front of the central screen is a videogame console controller which the audience use to interact with the work. A large, printed vinyl mat sits in front of the screens, framing the play space and seeping some of the virtual imagery into the physical space.

The screens present a third-person perspective video game, stretched across all three monitors. The central screen depicts just the gameplay, whereas the two side screens contain overlaid windows and menus showing different virtual material ranging from in game inventory, animations of virtual objects and screen recordings of archived Internet material. The game is accompanied by a mediative yet playful soundtrack and a whispered, ASMR-like narration.

Events and public programme

Glimmer is accompanied by a public programme of community and Colchester Campus based arts activities including storytelling, arts and crafts session and artist’s talks.

More about the Glimmer project

The Glimmer project includes partnerships with the University of Essex’s Centre for Coastal Communities, Essex Libraries and schools and community groups in Tendring and Colchester, Essex.

Glimmer will run from Friday 15 November to Friday 1 February in Art Exchange, with a Launch Party on Thursday 14 November, 6pm to 8pm. Art Exchange is open Tuesday to Friday, 11.30am to 5pm excluding public holidays and the University of Essex Christmas period shutdown.

You can find out more about the community projects in this news story. You can find out more about Glimmer by heading to the Art Exchange website.