Two main scenes and one interruption -1, 2 &3 are a series of ongoing studies that delves into the logistics, behaviours and romantic tragedies of spaces and how we as viewers and participants relate to them. Although the end product of these studies is film, the work itself has been constructed through a lengthy process of incorporating multiple media sources- painting, drawing, performing, talking, running, sitting, staring, doing nothing etc. all play a role in the process of making the work. Using my own real life situations and scenarios as a working artist, I have adopted the studio setting as a playing field to activate and heighten the happenings and actions of the world outside it. For me, these studies attempt to make sense of interior and exterior spaces, times and experiences through their own meticulous manufacturing and compositing.
Seeing Sound Feeling us- Part 1 &2. 2019 is a two- part film made in both Belfast and Kerry. This work is the result of a lengthy process of collecting and recording both purposely, set -up and instinctively whimsical scenes. The work is a continuation of my ongoing interest into recreating narrative and exploring language through familiar yet opposing spaces, objects and contexts.
Holes, Four and Five. 2019 is a film which explore ideas of local-ism and place, playing with notions of gossip, storytelling and re-constructed narrative through varied sources and environments.
The filming and its location took place in an old, unused shed on our farm in Castlemaine, Co.Kerry. The shed, now frozen in history, during my childhood functioned as the dwellings for the bull of the farm ( referred to as 'the bullhouse' and was considered a dangerous space for children) and further back in the early 1900's, it served as the place of birth for my grandfather and his seven siblings.
In October '18, I took this space over and transformed it into a typical art studio type environment- performing the clichéd physical actions of an active studio space (painting the walls white, the floors grey…drilling holes through walls). This shed has now taken on a new function as both a self-aware working space and also an adapted prop for the formation of new work. The space continuously jumps in and out of roles. This rural space will be the source of an on-going narrative contributing to my practice in the upcoming months.
This site-specific work aims to challenge perceptions of traditional painting, performance and film through various social environments and spatial relationships. Incorporating actual radio documentary footage, the film adapts this audio source as a tool for exploring the traditional formalities and functions associated with foreground and background in both film and painting. This film aims to question the boundaries and possibilities of interior, exterior and abstract spaces.
Hole 3. Oil on canvas. 2018. 13 inch x 13 inch