Kate Murphy at Breenspace

Before entering Kate Murphy’s exhibition of ‘The note’ at Breenspace, I had neither any background knowledge on the artist nor any expectations, though I immediately found her work very emotive as it resonated with my personal experiences and memories. Reviewing Rachel Kent’s document was surprising as I did not realise that the written music was essentially based on a suicide note. The main themes which I established and found most prominent in the work are aspects of remembrance, solitude and loss.

The composition of the work was very interesting, as the large space was only minimally utilised. I felt that this could represent the smaller scale of which suicide is known to the public eye in conjunction with the larger scale of the powerful effect which it can have on our lives. I believe that this factor converges on the ideas of seclusion and failure or loss. Considering the composition of the work, emptiness is present in the gallery space, which directly gave me a feeling of seclusion and the absence of objects also represented a form of loss. Even though there were number of other students in the gallery at the time, some how I still felt hauntingly alone in a large almost empty space.

The face of the woman depicted in the work was never revealed, perhaps for the same regard that the author’s name of the suicide note has also remained undisclosed. Although she was an employed singer and actor, the idea of revealing an image of the characters face, I believe would take away significance from the work. The turned image of the character therefore has effectively acted as a vessel for the note, a final farewell without a depicted audience.

Initially I did not realise that the singing voice in the background read the note in song, but regardless I felt that it complemented the atmosphere in a quaint and calming manner. Listening to the note as a prayer in song evoked childhood memories of mine; attending church with my Mother and the countless times I had witnessed her as she quietly prayed to God. The sound did not overpower as an aspect of the work, but gave power to the written words of sincerity and the plea for forgiveness. I found this very beautiful as these words if not written in text, could well be forgotten in time let alone be remembered, as prayers are more commonly kept within the mind. The protagonist is now not only given a voice, but is also given the form of expression her voice needs to resonate with audience overtime.

The reflective glass covering the photographs also captured my attention, as seeing my reflection as part of the artwork suggested that I was in fact a special audience with the privilege to witness this otherwise personal celebration of life. Although I never knew the individual who committed suicide, from reading and hearing her words I felt that I could familiarise with the kind of person she may have been and although a relationship never existed between us, I feel as though I know the kind of beauty and strength of emotion in her in relation to my Mother.

Remembrance has become such an important aspect in culture and society, whether it is commemorating war veterans, donating to charity or visiting the grave of a loved one, I feel that it is important to pause for a moment in our day to reflect on the greater good in people, whoever they may be or may have been. Reading up on her past work, Kate Murphy has clearly continued to articulated the importance of remembrance through the resonating experience of imagery and sound in ‘The note’. I look forward to seeing more of her work :-)