Culture

I’m just going to put it out there: The full moon is kind of, well, freaky. Studies have cropped up throughout history striving to prove a connection between the nights the moon is full and all kinds of crazy human antics on earth, including insomnia, insanity and of course lycanthropy. Make of it what you will, but this mythic rumour mill of sorts was what came to mind when I first saw Mary McFarlane’s “The Moon Knows” exhibition.

These are no simple paintings; that word doesn’t even begin to describe the incredible amount of attention and detail McFarlane applies to each of her creations. Spanning the last 15 years, the exhibition displays a unique collection of antique mirrors that McFarlane, as a well-practiced metal smith, has wrought with lacquer, gold leaf and silver to produce the amazing likenesses of the full moon(s) seen in each of her artworks. Each mirror features a round moon against a completely black night sky, but here the similarities end. Every work displayed is otherwise completely original, differing in size, colour, texture(s) and even the technique used to apply the latter.

Exceptionally beautiful and mysterious, the artworks are made further compelling by the fact that through McFarlane’s delicate shadows and etchings, the viewer can see their own face reflected and therefore superimposed onto the moon. They are implicated within the work, forced to consider their own attitude towards and relation with the phenomena of the full moon, as well as the inevitable commingling of science and art implied within McFarlane’s work.

The stunning craftsmanship alone is worth the trip to Glue Gallery. Look all you want but you probably shouldn’t touch - the not-so-student-friendly prices in themselves emphasize the value of the works!