Discover Jersey

The Sir John Cheshire Gallery presents the first solo exhibition by Bryony Koester, a islander who is currently studying at the University of Brighton for a degree in Fine Art.

Discover Jersey is the product of Koester’s research into her home. As a result of leaving the island to study in Brighton, she has started to question her relationship to her home and the rest of the world. Koester believes that it is important that Discover Jersey is shown in the right context; and this is why her work, although being submitted as her degree show entry, is to be held in Jersey so that it is appropriate for its audience.

This show offers a portrait of Jersey’s unique and complex identity - both past and present. The show is in two parts: a collection of miniature tableaux which constitute a portrait of the island, deconstructing it into individual aspects of Jersey’s history, traditions and heritage and presenting them in jars in a way that provides a vantage point to review the island as a whole. The second part of the exhibition is the presentation of the audience’s response to the exhibition which will be entered into Koester’s degree show at the University of Brighton in May.

The audience at the Sir John Cheshire Gallery will be given the opportunity to respond to the exhibition on postcards in the downstairs area of the gallery, and those who wish to have further contact with the artist will be able to leave their details. In particular, Koester is hoping that the exhibition will encourage her audience to address a range of questions, for example:

• Where is Jersey’s placement within the modern external world?
• Can the island continue its modernisation yet still retain its identity?
• How important is island identity today?

Koester is interested both in the content of the feedback as both will tell her and others something about how much and why islanders value their home. She says that her driving force is that:

“I would like to see Jersey preserve its traditions and its heritage, because it is unique, but I do believe that there is a tendency to under-value the island, and unless this is brought to people’s attention, it could be lost forever.”

For more information visit www.discover-jersey.co.uk

Opening night: Monday 5th April 5.30 - 8pm