Lost On Purpose (Mostly)

For Gwen Walker, Artistic Wandering transcends academic research, becoming a deeply personal journey of self-discovery. Coined during her PhD, Walker defines Artistic Wandering as: 

This practice is not only a theoretical exploration but a lived experience, transforming her wandering into artwork. 

Lost on Purpose (Mostly) captures Walker's intimate dance between seeking and losing, crafting a visual and tactile narrative of her life's journey, particularly her time in Iceland. Her sense of displacement, of never truly belonging, drives her forward where each step, whether intentional or spontaneous, is not just about traversing physical landscapes but about piecing together fragmented memories. The gaps in her personal history and the blurred edges of recollection are reflected in her work. 

Though Walker does not consider herself a photographer, photography serves as an external hard drive, capturing the moments and sights that resonate with her. These images are windows into her psyche, sometimes clear, other times obscured by the mists of memory. In contrast, her crochet works evoke a tactile sense of memory, with each loop and stitch embedding her experiences into a tangible form. 

The exhibition space invites viewers to drift and explore, offering a landscape for personal reflection rather than a prescribed path. Walker creates an environment where visitors can touch, see, and immerse themselves in her memories, forging their own connections to the work. Each piece in Lost on Purpose (Mostly) is more than an artefact; it is a waypoint in Walker's artistic wandering, marking moments where she paused, felt, and immortalised her experiences. This exhibition is not just a culmination of her PhD research, it is a shared exploration of memory, identity, and place.