Artist Statement

As an interdisciplinary artist my practice involves working with gathered natural materials and textures to mindfully connect with the land, doing this to express the tension between fragility, resilience, and care in the relationship between industry and the environment. Reflecting on my own landscape between Kerry and Limerick, my attention was drawn towards the population of industry along the Shannon Estuary along my journey home. When exploring the development of these sites, viewing them from a satellite perspective allowed me to visualise the areas in a new and more subjective way. I use satellite imagery to explore sites of interest where industry sits along the Shannon Estuary, in particular Aughinish Alumina, Moneypoint Power station and Irish Cement Castlemungret. Working closely with the land through the use of materials, while adopting an elevated, distant point of view, I try to apply a new visuality to these areas. Using natural material I collect from the Estuary I create paper pulp which becomes my support for working. I explore the texture, colour and shape of these industrial landscapes from this point of view using free motion machine embroidery on water-soluble stabilizer. Research is a large part of my practice, where I investigate the properties of the materials I'm working with to develop a more comprehensive understanding to further my sensory engagement with the materials. Seeing the landscape from this elevated vantage point raised an important question for me; can satellite data help me develop a deeper understanding of my own locality; socially, ecologically, and environmentally, and ultimately strengthen my sense of empathy for the landscape?