Abstract
This essay is about the process of making an installation for an exhibition about ritual commissioned by the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester. The video piece was to work alongside an exhibition of objects from around the world associated with rites of passage, birth, marriage, and death. The commission was a new initiative for the Gallery as they had never before commissioned a film-maker to make a work. The aims of the project were firstly, to animate the space, bring the objects to life through juxtaposition with ‘real people’ talking about their lives and shared experiences; and secondly it was intended to encourage new audiences into the gallery. This paper will address the question of making an object, how I used the materials and the space; and how the different forms of collaboration influenced the development of the installation.