Chris Brown 1 (with Kim Reddick) - Sets, Series and Ensembles

Chris Brown

Welcome to Sets, Series and Ensembles, an exhibition of art in public places. Accompanying each public art placement is a 'First Response' for you to read here on the website. As artists and writers we are constantly collecting ideas, objects, themes, and sentiments. We are often searching for the connections and narratives that help us understand both our lives and our art. 

It's our penultimate day on the Sets, Series and Ensembles exhibition and it's a familiar face who is back, full of originality and thought provoking art. Chris Brown's artefact looks like it has been liberated from the British Museum, but we find it on a small bridge over a culvert. It's the third of Chris Brown's work for the exhibition and each time a new writer has responded. Today it's the turn of Kim Reddick, who last joined us for the Sentinel Trees exhibition in 2020. Read his response below.

Chris Brown

Pitted iron who holds to history,

Twisted and dulled, beyond its use

It sits on display, held gently

Elevated,

Curated,

Fragile.

It asks of the stands,

"Why am I here, to be held aloft,

I have long since lost my purpose,

My edge is dull, my end blunt,

My metal rusted and thin."

The stands reply,

"We lift you up,

We keep you safe,

Because we can,

Because you were

Useful,

Crafted,

Loved.

Chris Brown

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Chris Brown is an artist, author, editor and art therapist living amongst skyscrapers and regularly exploring the wilder landscapes of the United Kingdom.

Kim Reddick exhibited in the first ever CollectConnect exhibition, Open Fridge. A highlight of his CollectConnect participation was his contribution to Dwell: A book of Nets (published in 2015).