HeadXl video stills which form part of my installation Hecate, 2020
My current body of work is based on a continuation of my research around themes of shame, vulnerability, trauma and the possibility of scoring or sounding these states of being.
The world is collectively grieving during this pandemic, we are grieving the loss of connection and normalcy. We also have anticipatory grief, the fear for our economy and the uncertainty of what our future holds. Studies show that people are processing this grief in their dreams and their sleep quality is affected because of it.
During this pandemic I have been documenting my dreams and sleep cycles. I have created a sounding using this data as a way to make an audible representation of something which is inaudible therefore generating a tangible portrayal of vulnerability, an aural impression of grief and a type of sonic sculpture narrating the impact of this pandemic. I use role play and endurance performance to create a visceral exploration of the complexities of our vulnerability and to question our perception of collective trauma.
My current body of work is based on a continuation of my research around themes of shame, vulnerability, trauma and the possibility of scoring or sounding these states of being.
The world is collectively grieving during this pandemic, we are grieving the loss of connection and normalcy. We also have anticipatory grief, the fear for our economy and the uncertainty of what our future holds. Studies show that people are processing this grief in their dreams and their sleep quality is affected because of it.
During this pandemic I have been documenting my dreams and sleep cycles. I have created a sounding using this data as a way to make an audible representation of something which is inaudible therefore generating a tangible portrayal of vulnerability, an aural impression of grief and a type of sonic sculpture narrating the impact of this pandemic. I use role play and endurance performance to create a visceral exploration of the complexities of our vulnerability and to question our perception of collective trauma.
Walking Backwards,video still, 2020
Walking Backwards is a ritualistic performance piece which explores Ireland's dark past; the mother and baby homes. It also questions inner and societal misogyny.
Walking Backwards is a ritualistic performance piece which explores Ireland's dark past; the mother and baby homes. It also questions inner and societal misogyny.
Her Kind, 2019, Live Performance
Photos by Richie Tyndall
These next shots were taken at my live performance called Her Kind where I questioned if the witch trials were an attempt by the Catholic Church to control and eradicate Christian mysticism. I examined the beliefs that the Church and society held about women in general at the time, their understanding of mysticism and their fears surrounding female sexuality. By researching key texts on mysticism and on the witch hunts I investigated how these women with power, holiness and respect came to be so feared. I questioned what caused the Catholic Church to shift from celebrating mystics to hunting witches. I don’t think it was a coincidence that this time in Christian history, a time where women thrived spiritually, enjoying their greatest opportunity for autonomy, power and authority was directly followed by a time of mass execution of women who displayed those exact same qualities.
Photos by Richie Tyndall
These next shots were taken at my live performance called Her Kind where I questioned if the witch trials were an attempt by the Catholic Church to control and eradicate Christian mysticism. I examined the beliefs that the Church and society held about women in general at the time, their understanding of mysticism and their fears surrounding female sexuality. By researching key texts on mysticism and on the witch hunts I investigated how these women with power, holiness and respect came to be so feared. I questioned what caused the Catholic Church to shift from celebrating mystics to hunting witches. I don’t think it was a coincidence that this time in Christian history, a time where women thrived spiritually, enjoying their greatest opportunity for autonomy, power and authority was directly followed by a time of mass execution of women who displayed those exact same qualities.
The Purposeful Resistance Of My Throat, 2018, Video Stills
These shots are stills from my video installation which focused on the issue of body autonomy. I looked at the force feeding of the suffragettes and how the apparatus of the state was used as a form of institutional torture. Special funnels were made to force feed suffragettes who had been imprisoned for protesting for the right to vote.
I decided to pay homage to the first suffragette who ever went on hunger strike, illustrator and sculptor Marian Dunlop Wallace.
Instead of re-creating a force feeding I decided to do exactly what the suffragettes couldn't do; spit it out. The video is about taking back the autonomy over the body and creating a protest using my throat. By using the body as agent of production rather than the subject of the state I was able to use the body as a sort of drawing tool.
These shots are stills from my video installation which focused on the issue of body autonomy. I looked at the force feeding of the suffragettes and how the apparatus of the state was used as a form of institutional torture. Special funnels were made to force feed suffragettes who had been imprisoned for protesting for the right to vote.
I decided to pay homage to the first suffragette who ever went on hunger strike, illustrator and sculptor Marian Dunlop Wallace.
Instead of re-creating a force feeding I decided to do exactly what the suffragettes couldn't do; spit it out. The video is about taking back the autonomy over the body and creating a protest using my throat. By using the body as agent of production rather than the subject of the state I was able to use the body as a sort of drawing tool.