Rachel McIntyre welcomes a new moving image and sound artwork by Deirdre O’Mahony that confronts the politics of farming and agriculture in Ireland
James F Collins’ book Quickening the Earth: Soil Minding and Mending in Ireland (2008) describes how the country’s soil once supported a population twice the current size, and how the earth was tended with great care and insight in consideration of the delicate balance of nature. In relation to soil, ‘quickening’ is the process of adding lime to reduce acidity brought by rain, improving conditions for earthworms and enriching fertility and structure. Artist Deirdre O’Mahony drew inspiration from this book: The Quickening is the title of her latest image and sound artwork. The work is informed, too, by the word ‘quick’, once used as another word for ‘alive’. (‘Quickening’ also refers to the first stirrings of a baby in the womb and to the growth of plants in spring.)
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