Aegri Somnia

A swathe of old bed linens hangs untidily from a great height and spills out over the floor. Some pillowcases and duvet covers are stuffed, others hang empty. Each is covered in dark markings which reveal themselves as disordered writings, words layered on words, written over and over again. The bed – a place of rest – has become tangled and fraught with intrusive thoughts. Aegri Somnia (a sick man’s dreams) embodies the uncomfortable, liminal state between sleeping and waking. It’s a place of restlessness, irrational thoughts and whispered prayers, night after night – an incessant vigil for our anxieties.

Kate McDonnell, 2024
[Old bedding and bed linens, ink]

Aegri Somnia
Testbed 24, Walcot Chapel, Bath 2024

Aegri Somnia
Testbed 24, Walcot Chapel, Bath 2024

Aegri Somnia
Testbed 24, Walcot Chapel, Bath 2024

Spendthrift: One Kilometre Drawing (detail)
This Is Not A Shop, Fringe Arts Bath/Bath Fringe, Bath 2021

Aegri Somnia
Roper Gallery, Bath 2024

Aegri Somnia
Roper Gallery, Bath 2024