April 6th, 2009
Part of my process has entailed the collection of stories: details, mementoes, impressions. (See “Journey: Memories of Place”, “Working for Home” and “Landmarks”). I have been working in the Natural History Museum recently (before its closure) drawing the animals. Members of the public came over to me and talked about the animals, about drawing and about the Museum.
Recording and gathering are integral to my work. It is a process of valuing, of conserving and of recognition. which is directly connected to the symbiotic relationship of people and the land (the primary concern in my work). In my many residencies at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation I have collected images, stories and objects. In “Absent: Derelicts” I accumulated a large number of photographs of derelict houses from the environs of Ballycastle and indeed from all over Ireland. Some were used in the work “Absent” exhibited at the Éire/Land exhibition in Boston in 2003. In “Familiar Territory” a large amount of found objects were gathered and some were used in “Journey: Memory of Place”. The photos of derelicts conveyed pathos and potential memories, as well as touching shadows of lives unknown. Found objects are similar: things people owned and used and discarded for some reason. Stories are the words of people.