Art History Graduate Gladys Lou curated show To see the world in a grain of sand on view at Factory Media Centre
To see the world in a grain of sand
August 7 – September 29, 2025
Noni Kaur, Ryan Kelln, and Chris Myhr
Curated by Gladys Lou
Opening Reception: Friday, August 22nd from 7–9PM
To see the world in a grain of sand is a multisensory exhibition that explores sand as a medium of communication, in an attempt to bridge the physical and the digital, the natural and the artificial, and the past and the future.
In Buddhist cosmology, every being is likened to a grain of sand—seemingly insignificant, yet essential to the infinite cycles of the universe. As both building blocks and residue, sand underpins human development, from construction and glass-making to silicon-based computing and digital infrastructure. How does the growing demand for sand in technology shape contemporary discourse on resource extraction, environmental degradation, and global inequality? And how might sand, like the hourglass, capture and reverse time?
Drawing inspiration from William Blake’s poem, Auguries of Innocence (1863), the exhibition reflects on how the smallest particles of matter encode vast cultural, ecological, and geopolitical significance.
Read more and access the Exhibition Publication here:
