Silent Cursors. Punctuated Journeys : Jen Orpin

Exhibition

13.04.21 - 26.06.21

After our recent lockdown we are pleased to announce the opening of the re-scheduled exhibition by Jen Orpin from Tuesday 13th of April 2021.

In partnership with Dr Richard Brook and Dr Luca Csepely-Knorr of Manchester School of Architecture, The Modernist Society is pleased to present an exhibition of paintings by Jen Orpin.

We have long admired Jen’s work and are privileged to show a curated selection of her recent paintings concerning a landscape of empty roads and bridges. Jen’s work draws attention to the invisible presence of the highway and its nature as a ubiquitous constant. In so doing, it asks all sorts of questions about landmarks, thresholds, nostalgias and is particularly poignant right now when our movement is so heavily restricted.

Our long-time collaborators, Richard and Luca, are conducting a research project about the values that people place on ‘Landscapes of Post-War Infrastructure’ and in parallel with the exhibition they will ran a series of online conversations, with pairings of visual and literary artists whose works also address infrastructure. Jen was in conversation with author Gareth Rees, chaired by Dr David Cooper, in January 2021 and a recording of the conversation can be seen here..

In Jen’s words:

These paintings are part of a series of work exploring the relationships we have to the journeys made to and from the places that hold significance in our lives. The subject matter of motorway bridges and the open road form a major role in sparking memories and nostalgia connected to these journeys. Some of them have been part of the landscape for many years, landmarks that provide a familiar and constant in the journey and a visual reminder of where you are. Some are huge feats of construction, facilitating roads or railway lines above and some are small slithers of concrete wide enough only for a walkway. Each though, has an equal significance to the visual landscape of the journey, punctuating and often reminding us of where we’re up too and how much further we have to go.

The Modernist, 58 Port Street, Manchester M1 2EQ

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