Static was a solo exhibition at The University of Hertfordshire Gallery (2023). The exhibition continued Curran’s ongoing research into Paul Virilio’s concept of ‘grey’ ecology and his suggestion that the development of screen-based and communications technologies – through their compression of space and time - distance us from geographical expanse and deaden our senses, resulting in an ongoing loss of affect. Space and time are compressed, “everything arrives without any need to depart…”

Using painting and textiles to move between small-scale intimate works and large-scale installations that responded to the architectural features of the gallery space, the exhibition included Curran’s ongoing body of work, A visible that never stops vanishing (2022). Based on the increasing distractions of screen-based scrolling and swiping, each work is assembled from fabrics that are stacked and stitched in place. On the surface, they appear as abstract paintings, however, closer inspection reveals the materiality of the layers of cloth including loose threads, frayed edges, and manufacturing glitches. The colours, sometimes flat and opaque, at other times transparent and delicate, show glimpses of evolving forms that are then played out throughout the gallery space at different scales and in different materials. When seen in isolation, each composition has a distinct identity of its own, but seen collectively, the eye struggles to focus or settle on a still point.

The exhibition’s title, Static, referred to the paradox of our contemporary moment; we can travel anywhere at any time via the screen without the need to move from the same spot. This results in a form of inactivity and a reduction of our full sensory experience, condensed by the optical smoothness of backlit transmission. Curran’s transformation of the gallery using colour and materials asks us to move beyond the notion of static as a state of inertness.