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Natasha Caruana, Curtain of Broken Dreams, 2017. Photo by Gareth Jones.

Curtain of Broken Dreams (2017)

In the entrance to Divorce Index is the Curtain of Broken Dreams, consisting of interlinked chains of 1,560 pawned, discarded wedding rings which create a physical representation of 1% of the number of divorces in the UK over a typical 12-month period. Becoming enmeshed in the physical evidence of the breakdown of so many unions raises the question of how essential the right conditions, as well as the right person, are to achieving everlasting love. The work poses the question of whether couples might ever consider relocating for the sake of a relationship, if the data predicted an unhappy end or better odds elsewhere?

Commissioned by the Open Data Institute as part of the Data as Culture programme, which was supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Additional support from the University for the Creative Arts. This is the premiere of the work.

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