Votive for the Next Earth by MH Sarkis

Votive for the Next Earth by MH Sarkis
Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery

When: 02 May 2023 to 19 November 2023
Where: Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery Queen St, Exeter, EX4 3RX
Time: 10:00 - 17:00
Cost: Free
Suitable for: Any age

Installation of this work has been delayed, apologies for any inconvenience

Artist MH Sarkis was inspired by textiles in RAMM’s collections to create this new interactive, woven hanging. Describing the museum’s objects’ ‘fragmented and salvaged appearance’ as well as specific items’ ‘importance to burial and mourning rituals’ (such as the Tahitian mourning costume displayed in the World Cultures gallery), she has created a new artwork that responds to visitors’ footsteps.

Sarkis’s own cultural heritage as the daughter of Lebanese parents growing up in Nigeria before returning to study art in the city of her birth, London, provides a unique, personal viewpoint on the museum’s varied collections that belong to cultures from across the world.

Sarkis considers a museum ‘as a place for remembering and preserving the past – a contemplative mourning of a time no longer present’. This RAMM commission speculates on a future scenario where our climate and ecological emergencies encourage a search for a new habitable planet. ‘Votive for the Next Earth’ is also an offering given in exchange for the new planet to its god. Sarkis says, ‘In this way, the scientific progress we make in the future functions in tandem with the human desire for ritual and belief in a higher being, especially in moments of strife and grief’.

The new textile was handwoven using a digital Jacquard loom at Goldsmiths, University of London, where Sarkis underwent a fellowship. It incorporates interactive sensors that trigger tektite beads to drop rhythmically. The sensors record data such as ground vibrations providing immediate, reactive feedback to movements nearby.

supported by Arts Council England

Exhibitions & Projects

  • Hollywood Rome: Reel Life in the Ancient World

    Hollywood Rome: Reel Life in the Ancient World

    Torquay Museum

    08 July 2023 to 23 September 2023

    View details

  • Rana Begum: Dappled Light

    Rana Begum: Dappled Light

    The Box, Plymouth

    24 June 2023 to 24 September 2023

    View details

  • Six Legged Superheroes: Insects Saving the Planet

    Six Legged Superheroes: Insects Saving the Planet

    Torquay Museum

    27 May 2023 to 07 October 2023

    View details

  • The Silver Wave by Michelle Williams Gamaker

    The Silver Wave by Michelle Williams Gamaker

    Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery

    20 October 2022 to 08 October 2023

    View details

  • The Great Fire of Crediton

    The Great Fire of Crediton

    Crediton Area History And Museum Society

    19 April 2023 to 28 October 2023

    View details

  • Cecil Isobel Elgee

    Cecil Isobel Elgee

    Fairlynch Museum Budleigh Salterton

    07 April 2023 to 29 October 2023

    View details

  • Reframing Reynolds: A Celebration

    Reframing Reynolds: A Celebration

    The Box, Plymouth

    24 June 2023 to 29 October 2023

    View details

  • Tea Room Exhibition

    Tea Room Exhibition

    Topsham Museum

    29 March 2023 to 31 October 2023

    View details

  • Dick Pym the Fisherman Footballer

    Dick Pym the Fisherman Footballer

    Topsham Museum

    29 March 2023 to 31 October 2023

    View details

  • Votive for the Next Earth by MH Sarkis

    Votive for the Next Earth by MH Sarkis

    Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery

    02 May 2023 to 19 November 2023

    View details

  • Art Pottery

    Art Pottery

    Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery

    20 June 2023 to 10 December 2023

    View details

  • Hollow Earth: Art, Caves and the Subterranean Imaginary

    Hollow Earth: Art, Caves and the Subterranean Imaginary

    Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery

    23 September 2023 to 07 January 2024

    View details

  • The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

    The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

    The Box, Plymouth

    11 February 2023 to 07 January 2024

    View details

  • People and Place: Art Collection Showcase

    People and Place: Art Collection Showcase

    The Box, Plymouth

    04 February 2023 to 24 January 2024

    View details

  • Project Buzz

    Project Buzz

    Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery

    13 June 2023 to 28 January 2024

    View details

  • A British Museum Touring Exhibition Egyptian hieroglyphs: unlock the mystery

    A British Museum Touring Exhibition Egyptian hieroglyphs: unlock the mystery

    Torquay Museum

    21 October 2023 to 18 February 2024

    View details

  • The Museum is delighted to announce that a collection of Shaldon handmade lace over 100 years old has been acquired

    The Museum is delighted to announce that a collection of Shaldon handmade lace over 100 years old has been acquired

    Teign Heritage Centre Home to Teignmouth and Shaldon Museum

    09 May 2023 to 09 May 2024

    View details