A deeply personal exhibition of collages created by artist Caishnah Nevans, from her beloved collection of 90s music magazines. Inspired by patchwork memory quilts, the work reflects on how the music we loved as teenagers shaped our identity, supported our mental wellbeing and continues to connect us. Visitors can create their own collage and contribute to a shared community memory quilt.

As teenagers, music can become more than entertainment. It can be identity, refuge, friendship and a way of making sense of ourselves. For many of us, the bands we loved shaped how we saw the world and helped us through moments that words alone couldn’t reach.

Once treasured possessions, Nevans’ magazines have been transformed into artworks that reflect on the music, artists and memories that helped define her teenage years. The collages combine familiar faces, typography and imagery from the era with quilt-inspired patterns that speak to the way memories are pieced together over time. Like a patchwork quilt, each work is made from fragments that are individually meaningful but become something deeper when stitched together. The exhibition explores nostalgia not as longing for the past, but as a way of reflecting on the people we were, the experiences that shaped us and the lasting connection between music and mental wellbeing.

Visitors are invited to continue this process of reflection through a companion collage activity. Using pages from the collection of magazines, they will be invited to create a patch to a growing community collage. Alongside their collage they can share a memory of a song, artist or musical moment that mattered to them. Together these individual pieces form a type of collective memory quilt celebrating the music that has supported, comforted and connected us throughout our lives.