Using elements of print, drawing, photography, video, performance & sound, my work draws inspiration from folklore and ritual. I am interested in mapping a territory where landscape, ceremonial acts and the marking of time meet, finding new resonances in old practices as a way to navigate the current climate and ecological crises. My work looks at folklore as a lens for exploring the metaphysical space between nature and humans. It considers how environmental and ecological collapse require urgent re-engagement with old forms of knowledge and wisdom in an effort to reimagine better ways of co-existence with nature. I examine how ritual and reconnection to the natural world during an unprecedented time of failing systems and global uncertainty, might act as tools of transformation. Central to the work is an investigation- questioning if re-enchantment with nature through folklore could be a potent agent for resistance, change and renewal.In this work, I create a Sitka spruce ‘dead zone’ as a metaphor for the ecological and biodiversity crisis in Ireland. Mono cultures such as Sitka are an enduring legacy of colonialism with only tiny fragments of native Irish woodlands remaining today.The sound piece contains a humming of Caoineadh Cill Chais, written in the early 18th century. This is a lament describing the aftermath of the deforestation of Ireland during and after the Cromwellian wars. ‘Cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan adhmaid, tá deireadh na gcoillte ar lár....’’What will we do without wood, now that the last of the forests are down..’ The lament also reflects the loss of culture and language and the deep interconnections and respect people had with trees and nature for hundreds of years. Ink from Hawthorn berry’s – a tree known for its magical powers and seven herbs said to be invincible in Irish folklore, have been brought to a ritualistic circle to counteract the dead zone. ‘There are seven herbs that nothing natural or supernatural can injure; they are vervain, John’s wort, speedwell, eyebright, mallow, yarrow and Self-Heal. But they must be pulled at noon on a bright day, near the full of the moon, to have full power.” – Ancient Legends, Mystic charms and Superstitions of Ireland – Jane Wilde (1887)
