Loss

Mixed media, found items, foliage

My work is in response to the brief “Beyond the Surface” which suggested “…. digging into the earth, into the past, into …. personal history and psyche…”

For my installation I have gathered materials from my environment which pays homage to the way everything was done in times gone by.  My chosen materials are willow, reeds, grass, bamboo and a section of a trunk of a holly tree.

Using these materials I have communicated my response to an issue that I (and my neighbours) are dealing with at the moment – the erection of a wind farm adjacent to our homes.    

The installation comprises of three pieces:

  • The white ground with willow in relief represents the hills of County Clare which I currently see clearly from my home – an expansive view that I love.
  • In the tall piece I have used foliage which is native to Moycullen and arranged them in a block of Holly.  (The translation from Irish for Moycullen is Plain of the Holly Bushes).  The tall bamboo which I have included, which is not native to the area, represents the tall wind turbines which are currently being constructed on our pristine boglands like an unwanted invasive species.  They will completely obscure my view of the hills of Clare.  This invasive species is driving out the natives which in this case are the people whose homes are in the area.
  • The basketwork/weaving piece represents the basket of things that I will take with me when I am forced to leave my home in the near future. 

The installation as a whole is about difficult decisions and moving on – leaving the things you love behind.  In a word the installation is about loss, the loss of a lifestyle and the loss of a home and the loss of a dream. 

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