THROUGH THE CONSCIOUS ACT OF WALKING SLOWLY,
I OBSERVE MY SURROUNDINGS IN MORE DETAIL.
EACH DOME IS A MAPPING OF A PLACE,
A MEMORY AND PASSING OF TIME.
'Aiteann' 2016 , burnt gorse , dimensins variable Photo credit Jed Niezgoda Photography
Aith - meaning 'sharp' , and teann, meaning 'lacerating'
As a part of Make 2016 I made several journeys to the cliffs along the coast to gather burnt gorse, the task of cutting, pulling, dragging, lifting, carrying and transporting the gorse was a very physical hands on exercise and through the intimate engagement with the plant and the land it came from I was was able to gain a deeper understanding of its material, form and essence.
The burnt state of the gorse shows the transformation of the material from its prickly sharpness to a smooth charred surface. Through the flames of the fire what once protected and nourished is now blackened and appears dead but in fact it is through this cycle that new growth can flourish.
Biophilia, various mosses and lichen ,mdf , household paint, polystyrene , steel pins, gold leaf, pva glue and ink. Dimensions width 210 cm x 340 cm length x 17 cm Height
Biophilia - An innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world. E.O Wilson
Biophilia is a moss and lichen installation inspired by research carried out on board the Space Shuttle Columbia in February 2003 in which they discovered moss is the only plant that responds to zero-gravity in space by growing in a spiral form compared to all other plants that responded by growing randomly in all different directions. Here in Ireland in LIT Sphagnum moss is being further investigated for its use in space by the CELLS research Group founded by Ms. Mc Keown- Bennet.
For this installation in the gunnery room in Blackrock Castle , I used the Fibonacci code to create a golden spiral. This code is found throughout nature, art and science. It is a symbol of our inter - connectiveness .
Detail of mosses and Lichen in Biophilia
My bones, 2012, twigs,gold leaf, steel nails, and lichen. variable dimensions
My Bones, 2012, twig, gold leaf, steel nails and lichen,detail.
