Lisa Young: Thingification & Sharon Goodwin: The back of my head is none of my business

Thingification is a suite of new sculptural objects by Lisa Young, presented alongside a selection of new and recent hand-embroidered textile works. Thingification transforms a foyer space into a microcosmic reflection on retail, commerce, and architectural form. Young’s sculptural works are playful explorations of scale and materiality, reminiscent of trinkets and souvenirs, evoking memories of shopping strips and the once vibrant world of tactile experiences. Constructed from metals – brass, stainless steel, and aluminum – these objects combine architectural and geometric elements, creating ziggurat-like forms that reflect light in a way that expands the space, opening up new dimensions with each mirrored surface.

Young embraces the absurdity and joy of creation while offering a nostalgic glance at an immersive shopping experience. The use of high-register colours, reflective surfaces, and intimate forms creates a ‘fairground of objects’ that offers both visual delight and subtle commentary on the commodification of art and objects in a rapidly changing world. Yet, this playful meditation remains optimistic—a robust act of artistic freedom expressed through carefully crafted sculptures and stitched geometric patterns.

Thingification denotes a process of transformation, which continues Young’s exploration of the playful potential of objects through defamiliarisation and extends her ongoing study of modernism, geometry and space. The conceptual play with form and space is both light-hearted and demands careful attention as the act of grazing over the table of objects encourages a sensory tactility between viewer and object through a sense of proprioception.

Young explores how the physical qualities of the foyer – often passed through quickly or casually – alters the experience of viewing. The informal nature of the space contrasts with the careful observation the objects demand and creates a playful disruption, where viewers are invited to pause and consider the objects around them. The installation takes on a welcoming tone, where the transitional space becomes a threshold, inviting viewers into an interaction that feels almost hospitable, much like a host might carefully present a meal.

Thingification surveys how objects engage attention, but also how they can fade from notice, offering a reflection on the transient nature of focus and memory. Objects, once at the forefront of engagement, now lie in the periphery, much like memories that drift beyond the reach of clear recall. Marking an ongoing dialogue between past and present, Young invites reflection on the tangible and intangible ways we experience and remember the material world.

Text by Sally Hussey, 2024.