Rust and Stardust Exhibition
’… and the rest is rust and stardust …’.
from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Scientist and writer).

The ‘Rust and Stardust’ exhibition consists of a series of wall and free-standing sculptures created by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden.

We are transient; only briefly in existence; yet all-encompassing in our consciousness.

We are such a speck in the ‘rust and stardust’ of the universe, yet our experience insists that we are more than this. That we are part of an accidental evolution inextricably linked to a universe without meaning should drive us to make the most of our consciousness; this special, probably literally universally unique property of life on this planet and life as a human.

‘Existence’ consists of pressure points, balances and tensions that affect our understanding of an object, an image, a word, or an interaction. It is this mutability and the now-ness and passing of ephemeral moments combined with the effects of interactions that are celebrated in this exhibition. The works cumulatively create a sense of support, connection and healing through a sense of internal strength and positive purpose.

When asked about the inspiration for her work, Alysn describes picking up the thread of memories and walking backwards along twisting paths reminding her of many connections which, like the ripples coming back from the far shore when a stone is thrown in the water will cross with others in an ever-changing pattern. Each experience and moment will link to another, though rarely, she notes wryly, in an ordered or logical sequence.

Rust and Stardust opens Thursday 20th July and is on show until 27 August 2023 at Timeless Textiles Gallery