MFA/MADW Exhibition (NCAD) at Emmet House, 138-140 Thomas Street, Dublin
The Cloud of Unknowing is the title of the body of research that I pursued over the two years of my Masters in Fine Art. The research is drawn from three site-responsive projects; 26 Days of Dreams from the Night Garden in the atrium of the National Blood Centre, St. James’s Hospital in April 2013, The Cloud of Unknowing at DCU in the Health and Sciences Building in DCU in October/November 2013 and Seeking Counsel at the Bar Council of Ireland offices on Church Street in February 2014.
The work consisted of an installation of an office, or a small museum (The Museum of Unknowing) displaying objects and remnants of work gathered over the course of my research. Illustrated talks were conducted in an adjoining room which outlined the connecting arc of the projects – how they began by a chance conversation but quickly developed into an unexpected and curious sequence of events.
Seeking Counsel at The Bar Council of Ireland offices, February 2014.
Each night beginning 16th of February 2014, I hung a framed text-image pair in the atrium of The Bar Council offices so that each morning the barristers, judges and staff of the space could view the next episode in an increasingly absurd court case.
The show ran from 17th of February to 28th of February 2014, with one text-image pair added each working day amounting to ten pairs in total by the 28th.
The Cloud of Unknowing at DCU in the Health and Sciences Building in DCU in October/November 2013
The Cloud of Unknowing at DCU; a durational intervention at the Health and Sciences building in Dublin City University (DCU).
At approximately 11am on Thursday 10th of October 2013 a door unlike all of the others in the building appeared on the first floor landing of the Health and Sciences building.
On the first day, the door was left ajar, opening into blackness. On the second day, and each day thereafter I drew a scene on the blackboard in the doorway. A glimpse into a dark mirror of DCU.
Except on the fourteenth day (Wednesday, 30th of October) when the door was locked and 72 red keys were placed around campus - primarily on the doors of the teaching staff in the building.
By the 17th day the door had started to shrink, and by the 7th of November the doorway was only 1 cm tall.
This artwork has been funded by the Office of Student Life as part of their ongoing strategy of cultural development at DCU.
26 Days of Dreams from the Night Garden in the atrium of the National Blood Centre, St. James’s Hospital in April 2013
On the first night a blackboard (80 x 80cm) with an image drawn in chalk was installed on an easel in front of a large bed of subtropical plants in the foyer of the IBTS. A small frame contained a blank sheet of paper from a book with the hand written words, "26 Days of Dreams from The Night Garden". No other information was been provided for the staff.
Each night I returned after the majority of staff had left, erased the previous night's drawing and created another. This continued for 26 days during April 2013.
