We speak through the land

We speak through the land, but our stories melt away (2023)
Installation. Icelandic kelp, seaweed, Irish turf, beeswax, soil, black sand, Irish sea water, Atlantic sea water, brass, clam and mussel shells, Irish wind felled native ash wood, lace, embroidery thread, heather flower, lupin flower, holly, glass.

Kelp, wooden spools of thread and wool, embers, handfuls of clay, floating heather, Lupin, holly, blackberries, ice and turf candles are used as devices to illustrate the rich histories and symbolism of interdependence embedded in indigenous practices with the earth and its elements. The exhibition uses these objects as signifiers to imply what can be discovered from ‘otherness’ and alternative narratives on the outskirts of the continental landmasses, acting as a reminder of all we have to lose when protecting and preserving islands and cultures. The objects and materials are accumulated in an installation ‘We speak through the land but our stories melt away (2023), used a site to activate by a performed ritual, ‘Home as Island; Unwritten Histories’ a call to the senses to repair our relationship to the land.

Funding by the Fingal Artist Support Scheme and exhibited at Annabelle’s Home, Reyykjavik, Iceland.

Images credits: Magnús Elvar Jónsson and Graham Coogan.