Space Has Become This Material Thing reveals the intersections of memory, communication, and physicality.

In this exhibition Susan Giles translated hand gestures of individuals reflecting on their recent transition to new homes. The invited participants, young adults and elderly citizens, like many others, underwent significant changes in their perception of home during the pandemic-induced isolation. The stories and gestures captured through this artwork serve as a point of social engagement through listening, sharing, and connecting personal to collective memory.

The fleeting shapes and movements hands make while speaking have been skillfully rendered, evoking the embodied experience of the world and making each artwork a tangible repository and preserving the recollections and realities of the speakers. In focusing on the recalled experiences of individuals and the corresponding hand gestures, Giles illuminates the point at which language takes on a sculptural form. Hung at “hand gesture height,” the work serves a reminder to the viewer of their own body and the gestural traces inherent in communication. The exhibition strikes a balance between the permanent and the transient, offering a captivating exploration of how our embodied experiences shape our understanding and representation of the spaces we call home.