Cocanvas originated as a participatory component of the 2024 solo exhibition Highly Commended. Conceived as an evolving installation, it invited members of the public during the exhibition’s opening to inscribe their reflections—particularly those concerning childhood regrets and memories—directly onto the surface of the work. Visitors were provided with ink-based paints, oil pastels, and simple instructions, fostering a collective authorship that emphasised the shared and often isolating nature of early trauma. Over the course of the exhibition, the canvas accumulated a dense layering of text, imagery, and mark-making, embodying a communal archive of experience. Subsequently reconfigured for inclusion in a group show, Cocanvas was transformed into a tent-like structure—an inhabitable form that invited further interaction. This iteration positioned the work not only as a site of memory but as a spatial refuge, echoing themes of protection and childhood introspection. The inclusion of canvas pillows and the immersive, tactile environment extended an ongoing thread in Bliss’s practice: the creation of sensory, intimate spaces that blur the boundary between viewer and artwork. Cocanvas remains an evolving project, with future developments anticipated.

Kindred Gallery, Shepherd’s Bush, London UK.