Exhibition: Sarah Leader: The Inquiry RoomBridewell Studios & Gallery, L7 8UL
Date(s): 21/06/2025 - 25/06/2025
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- UNDER 16 WITH PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN
Home to an artist’s investigations into the archives of unidentified human lives, and to the hidden methods in attributing recognition.
The Bridewell Studios and Gallery was originally constructed circa 1846 as a police station. As described on its website, ‘The large red brick building is situated on the corner of a busy thoroughfare on the eastern edge of Liverpool city centre and just opposite The Royal Liverpool University Hospital. There is much evidence of its original function still visible including a Detective Office sign at the foot of the staircase and the row of cells’.
Between Friday 20th June and Wednesday 25th June 2025, the original “Inquiry Room” at The Bridewell Studios and Gallery will transform into a carefully designed exhibition space that examines a body of information around the phenomena of unidentified deceased human lives, including the items found with them.
The exhibition hopes to provide a glimpse into the challenges of presenting sensitive information to the public, in which to raise awareness and appeal. It also seeks to pay tribute to some of these unnamed individuals: featuring depictions from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary artists and experts working in the field of forensics, jewellery, tattoos and textiles.
Contributors include:
- Sarah Leader: Artist studying an MA Art in Science at Liverpool John Moores University and funeral arranger.
- Dr Maria Maclennan: Senior Lecturer in Jewellery and Silversmithing (Teaching and Research), School of Design, Edinburgh College of Art.
- Stasia Parker: Jewellery designer and illustrator, based in London, Associate Design Lecturer at the Goldsmith’s Centre.
- Katie Taylor: Artist and contemporary sculptural installation artist located in Oxford, UK and presently pursuing a Ph.D. at Oxford Brookes University
- Sam Waiting: Tattooist studying the MA Fine Art at Liverpool John Moores University.
- Locate International: a UK Registered Charity dedicated to locating the missing and naming the unidentified, ensuring that every possible effort has been made to bring answers to families.
For further announcements on the exhibition please follow @thecuriosmind on instagram.
Trigger warning: due to the sensitive nature around unidentified deceased persons and topics surrounding death, please do not attend or take part if you might find the nature of this project triggering or upsetting.
Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
“The Inquiry Room” has been planned to take place during the Liverpool Independents Biennial 2025. For more information on events taking place between 7 June – 14 September at 120 locations across Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, Halton and Wirral, visit: https://independentsbiennial.com/
From Saturday 21st June to Wednesday 25th June, you will also have the opportunity to visit a separate exhibition being housed in the larger gallery room at Bridewell Studios and Gallery; “Stories of Solidarity”.
About Bridewell Studios & Gallery:
In 1976 a small group of artists rented a derelict police station and established Bridewell Studios. Artspace Merseyside was formed in 1981 as a not for profit limited company to run the organisation and after the demise of Merseyside County Council the artists secured a loan to buy the property. In 2007 English Heritage gave the building a Grade 2 listing and in 2015 the company became a charity.
Constructed circa 1846 as a police station, the large red brick building is situated on the corner of a busy thoroughfare on the eastern edge of Liverpool city centre and just opposite The Royal Liverpool University Hospital. There is much evidence of its original function still visible including a Detective Office sign at the foot of the staircase and the row of cells.
Over the last 42 years many artists have worked or had connections with the studios and gallery, including Adrian Henri, Richard Young, Stephen Broadbent, Maurice Cockrill, Ian McKeever, Anish Kapoor and the singer/songwriter David Gray. The building itself became famous in the 1980’s as one of the locations for Alan Bleasdale’s ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’.
The Bridewell currently hosts 35 studio based artists and craftspeople whose creative practice includes painting, stone/wood sculpture, jewellery, stained glass, textiles, print-making, ceramics, metal and multi media.
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