Launch: Saturday 12th September 1pm-3pm

Dates: 12th September – 31st October 2026

Gallery: Lower Gallery

In September 2026, Golden Thread Gallery will present NEW WORK, a major new exhibition by internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist John Carson.

Originally from Northern Ireland and now based in Pittsburgh, USA, Carson’s practice spans film, sound, installation and public art. Combining humour, research and personal narrative, his work explores themes of history, identity, place and belonging.

The exhibition brings together three new film projects that examine cultural connections between Ireland and the United States through Carson’s distinctive blend of storytelling, historical inquiry and wit.

Carson Street is a 19-minute ‘mockumentary’ exploring how Carson Street in Pittsburgh got its name. Carson’s video invites you to join him in searching for the story behind the naming of Carson Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Carson’s inquiries find him engaging in kerbside conversations, visiting local residents and businesses, exploring historical archives, consulting experts, and eventually heading for Philadelphia to pursue a promising lead.

Pittsburg Street. Originally from Belfast, Carson has lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for 20 years and was intrigued to recently discover that there is a Pittsburg Street in Belfast. This short video sets out to search for Pittsburg Street and to examine its history and character.

Same But Different examines shared cross-border musical traditions via filmed performances of 3 tunes by 3 musicians from Cavan, and 3 musicians from Fermanagh on flute, tin whistle, fiddle, guitar, accordion and bagpipes. Sub-titles reveal alternative lyrics to each tune and indicate different affiliations. The intention is not to reinforce the notion of two separate cultures, but rather to highlight commonalities within and across Ireland’s ‘two cultures’ as evidenced in shared musical references.

“John Carson is a Pittsburgh-based Northern Irish artist, who over five decades has investigated and found new ways of understanding Irish identity. Through video, installation and exhibitions since the 1970s, seen throughout the world, his enthusiastic endeavours have continually made a socially orientated art – one encompassing strains of conceptual art, the immersive role of popular culture, and a form of storytelling peppered with insightful wit and humour.” Sean Lynch, Askeaton Contemporary Arts

About the Artist

John Carson is an artist whose practice incorporates performance, sound, film, installation, sculpture, drawing, photography and public art. As both an artist and curator, he has been involved in numerous context-based and socially engaged projects.

Carson’s work has been exhibited internationally at venues including The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin; the ICA, London; CCA, Glasgow; IKON Gallery, Birmingham; Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Australia; the Aine Art Museum, Finland; PS1, New York; New Langton Arts, San Francisco; and The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh.

Accessibility 

The Lower Gallery is accessed via the ground floor, which is step-free.

Large print versions of exhibition texts are available.

Access videos of the gallery are available on our website here, with BSL and ISL signed versions.

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 proud to hold an Arts & Disability Access Award 2025 Venue Accreditation. 

Golden Thread Gallery is supported by: