Watching a Sunset 8.49-8.54pm

In 2026 and 2027 I will be presenting a series of exhibitions all called ‘Watching a Sunset’. They are differentiated by different time stamps from 8.49pm to 8.54pm. All the works are based on a fleeting glance of a group of people sitting by a riverbank quietly watching a sunset. The works reflect on what happens when people come together to experience things collectively, and explores ideas around spectacle, leisure, community and pleasure.

The history of art is full of instances where artists have addressed our human need for fellowship and beauty through interactions with the natural world. Parsons work does so at a uniquely perilous time for the environment and in an era where the role of the spectator is profoundly problematic.

In setting up a situation in the gallery setting where the viewer’s gaze is returned by the people watching a sunset in the artworks, questions are raised about neutrality and the role of the spectator.

The work also explores how a split second can take years to describe. This is reflected in the different times attributed to each successive exhibition, each of which will be different, containing both new work and new combinations of works.

As part of the dcoumentation of Watching a Sunset 8.50pm at Roscommon Centre Padraig Cunningham created this video introduction to some of the themes in the work