In 2021, artist Layla Khoo was commissioned by the Brontë Parsonage Museum to create Contemplating Hope. The installation was inspired by the hopes, reflections and ambitions Emily and Anne Brontë recorded in their diary papers approximately every four years between 1834 and 1845.
Layla created twelve ceramic vessels (one for each month), and visitors were invited to complete a card and place it in the pot. These cards were filled with visitors’ reflections and hopes over the course of what was a difficult year for many amidst the pandemic.
Four years on, we’re displaying this installation once more and, from May 2025, we’re smashing open one vessel each month to reveal the hidden contents. We’ll be reading and sharing these visitor entries for the first time since they were written, reflecting back to four years ago, contemplating what has passed since, and imagining what the next four years might bring....
