I construct unreal places, each growing from an early (and on-going) love of science-fiction and anti-/utopian literature. Sci-fi as a genre openly encourages curiosity, often asking existential or philosophical questions of the audience. I use Janet Donohoe’s notion of ‘palimpsest places’ as a tool. A 'palimpsest' can be used to refer to an object that bears visible traces of its earlier form, such as a manuscript written over in successive layers. In my practice these layered landscapes are built from artistic and contextual research, with ideas and processes forming on top of each other asking the viewer to question how it is made and what it depicts. Is the landscape real? Is it photography? Has the audience ever been there or is it somewhere they could go? When did it exist? In the past, present, future? All at once?
Throughout my practice I approach research as an artistic process; it could as much be walking, conversations, poetry and site-visits as secondary sources such as essays, interviews, films and books. This process allows me to reorder research into written and visual landscapes and translate ideas through mediums, from contemporary technologies of CAD and CGI to laser etching and printmaking. Frequently my works are shown as multiples, such as pamphlets or handouts, which the audience can take out of the arts space with them and into the landscapes that they consider.
I have shown work across Ireland and the UK, completed artist residencies in Manchester and Penrith, and developed and delivered lectures, workshops and seminars at three universities. In 2021 I was awarded 2nd Place (practitioner category) in the RIBA Eye Line award and in 2020 I was awarded Young Cumbrian Artist of the Year. I have developed an artistic research practice that is both specific in it's material processes yet broad and adaptive in the themes I question, from sci-fi and place, to philosophy, film and the patterns that form in sand. Two of my works are held in the collections of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, whilst many more are on the walls and shelves of people I care about - which is equally meaningful to me.
Artist Statement
Group Shows, Residencies & Presentations_
May 23 _ Group Show _ Barnavere / Tread Softly
Exhibiting at the Barnavere site in Carlingford as part of a group show researching the history of the site and practices within art that co-exist with the landscape.
May 23 _ Group Show_ Lost Exhibition, Theatre by the Lake
First showing of ‘Sinking, in Slow Motion’ in the UK, in the form of a series of booklets holding four chapters of the narrative
March/May 23 _ Residency _ Screen Service
Collaborating with Cóilín O’Connell in a two month residency with Screen Service.
Feb 23 _ Studio Visit _ IADT, the World Craft Council
Shared my current artistic research with representatives from the World Craft Council as part of their scheduled visit to IADT
Jan 23 _ Group Show _ A Perambulation at the LAB, Dublin
Exhibited a collection of works researching the Furness Peninsula
Dec 22 _ TIDAL Research Development Lab _ Signal, Barrow
Participated in 2-day lab focused on art, landscape and technology
Sep 22 _ Group Show _ Unpublished Tour at the Bridewell, Liverpool
Participated in a second iteration of the Unpublished Tour, showing an etched concertina book alongside the original triptych
Jun 22 _ Group Show _ Dialectic Visions at The Horse, Dublin
Part of a three-person group show focusing specifically on the theme of landscape
Apr 22 _ Contributing Artist _ Folded Zine
Participated in Issue 5 of Folded Zine, creating a series of etchings based around the theme of 'reflection’
Nov 21 _ Group Show _ Unpublished Tour
Created work in response to a research trip to the Duddon Estuary and showed final imagined landscape triptych as part of a group show at Millom Palladium
Nov 21 _ Group Show _ Movement at Cross Lanes Gallery, Kendal
Participated in group show as part of Folded Zine, showing an animation of landscapes and poetry
Oct 21_ Digital Publication _ Folded Zine
Participated in Issue 4 of Folded Zine, responding to the theme of 'Movement'
Sep 21 _ Conference Speaker _ RAPS, Bristol
Speaker at Radical Architecture for Sustainable Practice
Aug 21 _ Digital Publication _ Folded Zine
Participated in Issue 3 of Folded Zine, responding to the theme of 'Space and Landscape'
Aug 21 _ Artist in Residence _ Pink Manchester
Creation of a collaboration project and research residency at Pink, an arts space for curatorial research.
July 21 _ Commissioned Artist _ Our World, Ulverston Coronation Hall
Creation of an installation based on the Furness landscape.
Apr 23 _ Performance _ Signal, Barrow
I will be reading Sinking, in Slow Motion as a closing performance to the exhibition
Feb 23 _ Studio Visit _ IADT, the World Craft Council
Shared my current artistic research with representatives from the World Craft Council as part of their scheduled visit to IADT
Jan 23 _ Group Show _ A Perambulation at the LAB, Dublin
Exhibited a collection of works researching the Furness Peninsula
Dec 22 _ TIDAL Research Development Lab _ Signal, Barrow
Participated in 2-day lab focused on art, landscape and technology
Sep 22 _ Group Show _ Unpublished Tour at the Bridewell, Liverpool
Participated in a second iteration of the Unpublished Tour, showing an etched concertina book alongside the original triptych
Jun 22 _ Group Show _ Dialectic Visions at The Horse, Dublin
Part of a three person group show focusing specifically on the theme of landscape
Apr 22 _ Contributing Artist _ Folded Zine
Participated in Issue 5 of Folded Zine, creating a series of etchings based around the theme of 'reflection
Nov 21 _ Group Show _ Unpublished Tour
Created work in response to a research trip to the Duddon Estuary and showed final imagined landscape triptych as part of a group show at Millom Palladium
Nov 21_ Group Show _ Movement at Cross Lanes Gallery, Kendal
Participated in group show as part of Folded Zine, showing an animation of landscapes and poetry
Oct 21_ Digital Publication _ Folded Zine
Participated in Issue 4 of Folded Zine, responding to the theme of 'Movement'
Sep 21 _ Conference Speaker _ RAPS, Bristol
Speaker at Radical Architecture for Sustainable Practice
Aug 21 _ Digital Publication _ Folded Zine
Participated in Issue 3 of Folded Zine, responding to the theme of 'Space and Landscape'
Aug 21 _ Artist in Residence _ Pink Manchester
Creation of a collaboration project and research residency at Pink, an arts space for curatorial research.
July 21 _ Commissioned Artist _ Our World, Ulverston Coronation Hall
Creation of an installation based on the Furness landscape.
June 20 _ Motifs of a City _Wildfell Zine
Contribution to digital zine
June 20 _ The City Builds _ Wildfell Zine
Contribution to digital zine
Feb 20 _ Young Cumbrian Artist of the Year _ Carlisle Institute of Art
Winner of Young Cumbrian Artist of the Year and invited to complete a residency with Eden Arts in 2021
Nov 19 _ ‘The words that precede my mouth’ _ Soft Spot
Slow hung group show growing from conversations within the space on collaboration, writing, language and diagrams
Oct 19 _ ‘MANUSCRIPT’ _ Manchester Art Fair
Curator and artist of the MANUSCRIPT stand, focusing on printed matter emerging from the Manchester School of Art
Aug 19 _ 'but what happened in the summer?' _ Bodleian Library Oxford
Artist book held in the collections of the Bodleian Library, Oxford
Aug 19 _ 'untitled' _ Bodleian Library Oxford
Artist book held in the collections of the Bodleian Library, Oxford
July 19 _ Degree Show _ Manchester School of Art
March 19 _ ‘Matters of Procedure’ _ Curated by Katy Morrison
Participating artist in week-long curatorial project, culminating in a show at the Side Gallery
March 19 _ Young Cumbrian Artist of the Year _ Carlisle Institute of Art Shortlisted Artist
Nov 18 _ Doremi Residency _ Art Gene
Group residency based in Barrow-in-Furness, culminating in a group show
May 18 _ ‘Syste, m a complicate’ _ Vernon Park Museum
Invited artist to group exhibition on ‘writing as art’
May 18 _ ‘Two glasses of red and an exhibition guide’ _ Deaf Institute
Participating artist in performance based group show
May 18 _ ‘Unquiet Landscapes’ _ Plant Noma
Curator and participating artist
April 18 _ ‘Perambulate’ _ Vertical Gallery
Participating artist
March 18 _ ‘The Dream Committee’ _ curated by Andrew Hunt
Participating artist
Jan 18 _ ‘Testing Ground’ _ Curated by Tom Emery
Participating artist
Education & Employment_
IADT, Ireland _ Masters in Art and Research Collaboration _ First Class Hons
Manchester School of Art _ Fine Art BA(Hons) _ First Class Hons
Leeds College of Art _ Extended Diploma in Art & Design _ Distinction
Kendal College _ BTEC Diploma in Photography _ Merit
MMU English Literature Department _ Research Assistant to Dr David Cooper _ 2018
MMU Politics Department _ Research Assistant to Dr Adi Kuntsman _ 2019