We really wanted to do something more than simply present Pete's work; we wanted to find inspiration in the studio archive that would inform a type of immersive experience for his audience - so we got digging!

When we arrived at Hardess Studios a few days before the show, we were delighted to see we had a few different spaces to play with. Two large rooms formed the core of the show. One space was dedicated to the political dimensions of Pete’s practice, bringing together works that questioned power structures, protest, and social commentary. The second large space focused on his Irish-themed landscapes and characters — works rooted in place, memory, and storytelling. This room was animated further by live performances from some of Ireland’s leading contemporary traditional musicians, weaving sound, atmosphere, and cultural rhythm into the experience of the work.

Beyond these main galleries, two additional, more intimate environments were created. A converted horse box housed an immersive installation titled 'In the Head of Pete'. Inside, visitors were invited to manually operate a slide projector, cycling through Pete’s earlier works as they were projected onto the interior walls. This visual experience was accompanied by audio recordings of Pete performing as his alter ego, Jean Pierre Murphy — a character he developed during his time in the south of Spain in the 1990s, while hosting a late-night pirate radio show. The piece offered a rare and playful insight into Pete’s inner world, humour, and performative imagination.

The final space, a caravan titled 'In Bed With Pete', offered a softer, slower encounter. Designed to feel warm and inviting, it became a place to pause. Audience members were encouraged to sit, have a drink, and spend time with Pete’s sketchbooks, early conceptual ideas, and extensive writings — materials that revealed the process, doubts, and curiosities behind the finished works.

Together, these spaces formed a retrospective that moved beyond traditional gallery presentation, inviting visitors into Pete Dunne’s creative life, influences, and voice — not only as an artist, but as a person.