Late Night Art: Thursday 5th November 2026
Gallery: Lower Gallery
Time: 5pm – 8pm
Artists: Jayne Cherry and Alison Lowry
HERMOSTASIS
Jayne Cherry and Alison Lowry present Hermostasis, a work-in-progress film exploring menopause, ageing and the cultural invisibility of older women, for Late Night Art November at GTG.
Drawing on the myth of the Cailleach, the female figure in Irish and Gaelic folklore associated with landscape, weather and winter, the artists reconsider society’s perception of the older woman. Rather than framing menopause through loss or victimhood, Hermostasis explores the overlooked intelligence, resilience and knowledge embodied in women’s experiences.
The artists combine the materiality of glass with the ephemerality of performance art in this film, which centres on 450 glass sticks, representing the average number of menstrual cycles a woman experiences. These glass sticks are laid to rest with dignity and celebration, as they mark the end of this chapter of life.
Cherry and Lowry are frequent collaborators, and say that this work is about “the fierce unacknowledged intelligence of bodies that absorb what culture refuses to hold and the radical act of finally making that visible.”
This screening at Golden Thread Gallery offers a unique opportunity to encounter an evolving project, with research ongoing and further work in development.
The project is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Late Night Art takes place on the first Thursday of every month, when many of Belfast’s galleries and studios stay up late so that audiences can enjoy after-hours access to some of the finest visual art that the city has to offer. You can expect to see media from across the visual arts, including painting, sculpture, photography, illustration, craft, video, and performance. A great post-work social activity to enjoy by yourself or with friends and family, embrace the atmosphere and immerse yourself in our city’s art scene. No two Late Night Art experiences are ever the same!
About the artists:
Jayne Cherry works with many materials depending on her thought processes and subject matter at the time of research. Making work about what she experiences and how this can be portrayed to the audience in live art performance and sculptural work can take many forms. She grew up watching women save people with their hands. Her Grandmothers, Her Aunts, Older sisters and cousins and her mother surrounded by children who needed clothing, warmth, and covering, they stitched and cut and pressed without ceremony, as if it were only a matter of turning up at the fabric. She understood even then that making was a kind of survival. That the hands could carry – what the voice could not.
Alison Lowry, a glass artist based in Saintfield, Northern Ireland, operates from her studio, ‘Schoolhouse Glass.’ Alison has amassed numerous accolades throughout her career, and most recently, was awarded second place at the Coburg International Glass Prize in 2022. Her work enjoys national and international acclaim, with pieces held in various public collections. Her groundbreaking work, (A)Dressing our hidden truths, shown at the National Museum of Ireland, (2019- present), was one of the first acknowledgments of the Magdalene Laundries presented in an Irish Institution. The Museum subsequently purchased the exhibition for their permanent collection.
Accessibility
The Lower Gallery is accessed via the ground floor, which is step-free.
Large print versions of exhibition texts are available.
Please let us know if you have any questions or additional requirements, we are working hard to make the gallery as accessible as possible for everyone.
Golden Thread Gallery is supported by:
More Events
Help fund our work
Through a one-off or repeat donation, you’ll enable us to continue showcasing art and culture with our community.
Supported by
