Ohni Ziül, kei Versager: Objects, Goals and Failure, a Swiss residency by Rose Magee

Ohni Ziül, kei Versager: Objects, Goals, and Failure explores the creative potential of failure and material agency through a four-month artist residency at Altes Spital, Solothurn, Switzerland. Initiated by the unexpected breaking of hand-blown glass objects during transit, the project reframes failure as a catalyst for empathy, interconnectedness, and transformation. Set in a former hospital, the residency provided a fitting context for investigating the relationships between humans and objects. By engaging with glass and beeswax, materials that embody both fragility and resilience, I embraced material unpredictability, allowing forms and textures to emerge organically. Collaborative workshops further examined failure, imperfection, and materiality as carriers of memory and emotion, fostering empathy for both human and non-human entities. Inspired by thinkers like Jane Bennett and Daniel Miller, the project challenges human-centered views of objecthood, recognizing the agency of materials and their capacity to mediate reflection and connection. Drawing on concepts like wabi-sabi and “thing-power,” the work celebrates the beauty of imperfection and the ambiguity that emerges when control is relinquished. Recurring themes of encounter, empathy, and mediation underscore this practice, proposing that failure is not an endpoint but a means of discovery and growth. By embracing ambiguity and resisting the impulse to fully understand or master, the project advocates for a more interconnected and empathetic engagement with the world.

Residencies/Symposium/Festival

2023 Kunstfestival Artspace Bremerhaven, DE

2023 Internationales 32nd Landschaftspleinair Schwedt, ARTENVIELFALT, DE

2021 Siluva Art Biennale, Touched Land, sculpture/installation, LT

2021 Tracce, Artist residency Conversano (BA) IT

2024 Altes Spital Solothurn, 4 month Artist-in-Residence, Solothurn. CH

Rose Magee (1990, UK) is a Tallinn-based visual artist with an educational background in archaeological conservation and contemporary art. As the world becomes increasingly divided and polarised her practices recognise objects' inherent agency and power over us. Through installations that allow space to reflect on cultural, personal, and sensory significance she views objects as information carriers that can materialise values and resolve conflicts, revealing deeper truths about ourselves and society.

cv on website

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