Information:
ADDRESS:
The Alchemy Experiment
157 Byres Road, G12 8TS
Glasgow
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PREVIEW EVENING:
Friday 14th July 19.00-21.00
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OPENING HOURS:
Monday - Saturday. 9.00-18.00
Sunday 10.00-18.00
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ARTIST LINKS:
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14.07.23
DEBBIE YOUNG
God Helmet
23.07.23
FREE ENTRY
God Helmet is an exploration of the unseen. Surveying intersections of art and science, it weaves together the poetic and the empirical, the tangible and the ethereal.
The 'God Helmet' was developed by neuroscientist Dr. Michael Persinger to study creativity, religious experiences and the effects of stimulating the temporal lobes. Persinger found that many subjects reported "mystical experiences and altered states" whilst wearing the device. By using complex magnetic fields they were able to reproduce profound paranormal events, such as near death experiences, the sense of a presence, as well as confronting visions, tunnels, voices and dream-like states. If these mystical perceptions can be turned on at will, this challenges our understanding of the nature of consciousness and magnifies the complex interplay between science, art and spirituality.
Much like the telescope provided a tool to see the cosmos, the God Helmet allows us to witness and recognise the highly malleable and creative nature of our inner reality. If we consider the transformative power of creativity, and the role of the artist as a catalyst for change, then looking inward could answer our persistent existential questions. Delving into the human psyche, where the boundaries of reality blur and the enigmatic forces that shape our existence come to light.
This exhibition invites contemplation on the mystical dimensions of the human experience in an increasingly skeptical world. The artist has often been seen as a conduit, possessing the ability to tap into hidden realms, to commune with the collective unconscious, and to manifest visions that captivate the soul. The works included in this exhibition are cosmigraphic maps of the unconscious mind. Escaping the physical, clunky boundaries of the body and entering a realm that traditionally exists beyond our mental atlas.
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Enter a world that defies logic, where the art becomes a portal to the spiritual and bridges the realms of the tangible and the intangible. The exhibition includes a series of sculptural ceramic paintings which have been airbrushed to create intuitive metaphysical landscapes.
Debbie Young by photographer Aga Paulina Mlynczak
Debbie Young by photographer Craig Young
Debbie Young is a Glasgow-based artist and designer, with a diverse oeuvre ranging from paintings, mixed-media assemblage, video installations and ceramic sculptures to, most recently, producing airbrushed ceramic paintings. The work is borderless and expansive with a focus on details. The process is largely driven by an existential search through making, a need for absurd satirical humour, metaphysics, anthropology, nostalgia and a genuine curiosity for all things.
Graduating from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague in 2016 (BA Painting), Young was awarded with the Piket Art Prize for contemporary painting. Alongside exhibiting internationally, she has founded and run ceramics studio Studio Mama (2018-2023), co-founded artist initiative SID-YOUNG with Katerina Sidorova (2016-), and founded the performance nights/ creative networking dinner events platform called Lonely Arts Club.
Young is a BsC in Psychology (2011).
Purchase enquires - contact us at staff@alchemyexperiment.com