Artist Residency in Kismet
An exploration of fate’s connection to grief.
Maxwell James Connolly is completing an artist’s residency in Kismet, based in Hull.
Manifesto
This project will focus on exploring Kismet, in every sense of the term. Taken to mean “fate,” often romantic in sensibility, Kismet is a much bigger thing than all of us.Its original Arabic root, “qisma,” means “portion” or “lot,” one’s fortune. It’s even listed as a synonym for “fragment.” But isn’t there something about predestination in love and grief that evokes a sort of cosmic terror? A dread and awe that parts of our lives connect mysteriously to one another.This project will respond to Kismet in its full form. That means exploring something no one really wants to think too hard about - fate’s connection to grief.Sometimes I have avoided the idea that fate and grief can intersect. Surely bad events cannot be meant to happen. They cannot be so effortlessly interlinked with the fabric of us. No one likes the idea of being fated to lose someone or something they love.And I myself don’t believe it works like that. It would be a very strange and cruel way to have it all work.But what I believe is there is connection between kismet (fate) and grief. That more often than we’d want, they come together, by a series of inexplicable events.Kismet is a word with such sensual and positive association, it is an intimate force, so it’s no surprise that it connects to the most intimate parts of us: those that have seen indescribable, life-enduring loss.The connection between fate and grief evokes questions of “wait, what does this mean?” It is the beginning of the end, the spiral of spiritual and moral crisis.
Residency Structure
This residency consists of several phases.A research and planning phase, from March 2026 till the beginning of summer 2026, in which I will explore kismet and the forms grief takes in media (books, photography, artwork, music) and in my own experiences. This will be a time of gathering information on desired techniques I will explore and beginning to experiment with them.The main phase, taking place from summer 2026 till late September 2026. This is when the bulk of my work for this residency will be created, taking the form of multiple mediums: writing & poetry, photography, ceramics and music, to name a few. A week of this phase of the residency will take place in Leeds, exploring sound engineering and music production.A results phase and evaluation, beginning in October 2026. I will be taking stock of my work and evaluating the residency, an interview for self-reflection and potentially exhibiting the work are desirable outcomes.
Studio Journal
Welcome to my studio journal, where I will provide summaries of what I have been doing each month.March JournalMusicianship- Begun studio work on Midnight Mellow, learned a lot about studio sessions, how to manage time in a studio and general production work with Logic Pro.- Distributed “Dacre, Live At Polar Bear EP” and begun promo work for this EP, releasing 14th April.- Worked with HUMS Pop Ensemble towards our Spring Concert.Photography, Film & Exposure Processes- Shot a roll of Kodak Gold, the first I have done of Kodak Gold in a while, with experimental aperture. Some interesting shots, especially of Minerva, goddess of the arts and wisdom.- Studied cyantotype, UV printing and athnotyping. Developed a unique business pitch that will be worked on in the coming months. Attended workshops around this.- I found a particular love of athnotyping for how the process aligns with my values, especially on sustainability. I love that the process is somewhat out of my own control - and it is also very cheap to produce work in this way.Ceramics- Began working with clay experimentally. My most successful projects have been a bohemian-style ash tray / incense holder and a Celtic inspired bowl.April JournalMusicianship- Intense preparation for HUMS Spring Concert.- Partook in the HUMs Spring Concert for Pop Ensemble, which was quite successful this trimester.- I will be leading Pop Ensemble next year as an associate member of HUMS, which I am very grateful for. I am excited to see how my skills and personal style in directing a band develop, now having 2 years of experience in HUMS.- My application for a grant to go to a sound engineering summer school at ICMP was accepted. I plan to go in August to Leeds for the course, and a few extra days doing film, other creative projects and checking out the northern creative scene.Photography, Film & Exposure Processes- Another Ilford roll done, with some great results that I went on to sell prints of at my first market, “Out The Mud” market at Dive.- Further athnotypes completed. From my research in these, I would love to investigate making a more emulsified paper that can be used in a pinhole camera for a solargraph. A solargraph would be a months long project, with some more research needed.Tattoo Artistry- Made another attempt to finish tattooing a Mushroom on my knee. Tattooing is not a pursuit I thought to include in the residency, but it makes sense to as this is another creative artform.- I learned how to handpoke tattoo safely some year or two ago, and this tattoo represents something special to me, as do all my tattoos, handpoked or machine.- I have been finding the knee a difficult place to tattoo due to the thickness and callousness of the skin, which requires more needle depth and aftercare, so that has been a learning. Ink has occasionally fell out due to underestimating the depth needed, comparatively to say, my arm tattoos, which needed much less.- I have gradually built up layers and can now see the ink staying in better.- One more attempt / pass may be needed on the linework, and maybe even another if I would like to do some shading, which would be ideal.- Handpoke tattoos often require multiple sessions and a lot of patience, but are (permanently) rewarding.May JournalPhotography, Film & Exposure Processes- Ilford roll of Spring Bank General Cemetery completed. This roll was intentionally focused around fate and grief - and it will be part of larger series of work.- Had my first market stall at Out The Mud Creator’s Market, selling framed and unframed prints and stickers.- Begun actively gathering supplies and designs for an idea I have been working on for some months, running adjacent to the residency.Musicianship- Started rehearsing a summer acoustic setlist for a small upcoming festival gig for my artist project, Dacre.Writing & Language- Began work formatting a poetry anthology of my own work.- Started attempting to learn one of my ancestral languages, Gaeilge (Irish). Begun reading a comprehensive guide on grammar structures and attempted to learn basic phrases.