For no other reason than joy is the first occasion that Saoirse will give physical form to Freedomia, Freedom Princess’s world, as a place unburdened of the weight of human history, free of violence, guilt or shame: ’It has no links to capitalism or state-fuelled inequality; no bloody history of slavery or terror.’ Instead, it is a place that combines the celestial and the informal, levity and immanence: ‘Freedom Princess doesn’t come from anywhere you’d be able to identify on a map, so don’t ask…’

Saoirse will share a new film work commissioned for the exhibition, A Lesson in Frivolity, which she shot in locations in Nithsdale in Dumfriesshire, and near to Collecchia, in Molise, Italy, whilst she was attending the residency programme established there by the Museum of Loss and Renewal.  The film will be installed in our upstairs space amidst a backdrop of yellows, purples and golds and alongside sculptural and textile elements that combine natural, earthy materials with those that are gaudy and extravagant: ‘I hope the space will feel a little like the visitors are entering into another world – a small insight into Freedomia. Though the inspiration behind the work is extremely personal and fraught with tension, I hope that the end result is joyous, vibrant and a little magical.’