THE CABINET OF WONDERS #6
LINENHALL ARTS CENTRE CASTLEBAR, Co MAYO, IRELAND
THE CABINET OF WONDERS #6 The Cabinet of Wonders #6 10 April – 31 August 2018 The Cabinet of Wonders is an ongoing project devised and curated by Ian Wieczorek Presented in association with Linenhall Arts Centre
PREFACE Cabinets of Curiosities, also known as Kunstkabinette or Wunderkammern, were collections of unusual objects which offered insights into the rich and often curious diversity of the natural world and beyond, spanning everything from antiquities and religious relics to natural ‘freaks’, medical curiosities and other uncategorisable items. Inspired by the empirical approach of Classical thinkers such as Aristotle and Pliny the Elder, Cabinets of Curiosities found their beginnings in the time of the Renaissance. Initially seen as both edifying and as markers of status for their collector-curators, they offered a cocktail of learning and entertainment. The Cabinets remained a mostly exclusive preserve of the rich and influential, until in the 19th century the likes of showman PT Barnum’s American Museum introduced a more public and often sensationalist sensibility. While the fashion for Cabinets of Curiosities no longer holds popular currency (with a few notable exceptions), they paved the way for the more formal and rigorous museum model that we are familiar with today. Taking its inspiration from the Cabinet of Curiosities, The Cabinet of Wonders presents a series of objects mined from the creative imagination of a selection of contemporary visual artists. Inspired by the eclectic approach of the original collector-curators, it presents a range of works that will hopefully intrigue and engage the passing viewer.
CURATOR’S NOTE This catalogue documents the sixth incarnation of The Cabinet of Wonders. Cabinet of Wonders #6 explores and celebrates the serendipitous nature of artistic process. The artists: Declan Byrne’s colourful encrusted sculpture, decorated with dried up acrylic paint, echoes the visual language of his paintings; Michelle Colfer’s work is inspired by childhood memory and the idea of catching hope; Fiona Harrington celebrates the traditional craft of Irish lacemaking, proposing its future sustainability through adaptation and reinvention; Dympna Heanue reflects on the dichotomy between the beauty of nature and its imminent destruction; Rebecca Lyons brings together the colours and technique of childhood folded ‘fortune teller’ geometry with ‘ephemeral’ zoomorphic forms; Lisa McLurg’s work explores the notion of motherhood and questions whether it is in our nature to bear children; Noel Molloy creates a pithy visual allusion to the association between State and religion; Jane Queally’s work explores the universal appeal and attachment to good luck charms or talismans, and the wonder/value of found objects; Fiona Reilly creates a simple yet eloquent physical representation of the usually ephemeral nature of the everyday; Ian Wieczorek presents a series of artistic responses to the theme of the heart. With thanks as ever to the Linenhall Arts Centre for facilitating this project, and to all the artists who submitted proposals. Ian Wieczorek
Declan Byrne Encrusted Shoe
(shoe, acrylic paint) Declan Byrne’s colourfully encrusted sculpture, decorated with dried up cubeds of acrylic paint patiently collected from the palletes of fellow KCAT studio members, echoes the visual language of his paintings.
Michelle Colfer Catching Hope 1-5
(hand printed origami, glass jars) Catching Hope is a series of small scale origami sculptures enclosed in glass jars. This piece is inspired by a childhood memory of catching ladybirds and spiders in jars during the harvest each year. Instead of the ladybirds and spiders, the concept is that it is hope that has been caught in the jars. The jar is representative of the memory as a solid, clear object, whereas the origami cranes - a traditional Japanese symbol of hope - are suspended in flurries, suggesting a fleeting yet vivid moment of utopia. The pattern of the origami paper - decorated with images of wild flowers that are able to flourish in harsh environments - also evokes the idea of hope.
Fiona Harrington Under Observation (handmade lace, card, Petri dish) We live in a society where constructing an object by hand now appears to be a senseless activity, especially when a machine can produce a similar object in far less time. At the turn of the 20th century, lacemaking was the 2nd largest industry in the country after agriculture. Ireland became a world leader in the production of handmade lace. In Kenmare alone, hundreds of women were employed making lace, with their earnings contributing largely to the survival of many households. Today a mere six lacemakers remain. This imminent feeling of loss had a huge impact as it not only signifies the loss of local tradition; it also suggests a certain cultural apathy towards this largely female practice. Under Observation attempts to shine a light on Irish Lace and highlight the need of our cultural organisations to recognise the importance of this industry and acknowledge the significant contribution lacemakers made, to the development of art and design in Ireland. The design is based on a series of fabric drawings and illustrates the complexity of Irish Needlepoint in miniscule pools of stitch varieties. The open area of the stitches allows the colour to come through while still staying true to the tradition of making lace in white.
Dympna Heanue Eleventh Hour
(clock, stones, seaweed, shells, feather, bird skull) Eleventh Hour addresses the pollution of our seas. The work is the product of beachcombing on the shores of the West of Ireland, and the items used represent the dichotomy between the beauty of nature and the destruction of same by Man. Like countless others, I now despair at the state of our beautiful seas, and the destruction of the life in them. Eleventh Hour finds dead wildlife and seaweed interspersed through the workings of a decrepit clock. The time on the face reads nearly 12.00 midnight...
Rebecca Lyons Giant Alien Urchin
(post-it notes, sweet wrappers)
Origami Cocoon
(post-it notes, sweet wrappers, Mod Podge glue)
Amoeba
(post-it notes) These works embody geometrical aspects, yet appear distorted or ‘organic’ as they do not conform to traditional sculptural forms, due in part to the ephemeral and fragile properties of the materials used. The act of making is an organic process that reflects Nature and a ‘zoomorphic’ aspect in their making. I wanted the pieces to appear unusual but also familiar - the ‘fortune-teller’ folding technique used in their construction harks back to memories of childhood, as do the inviting colours.
Lisa McLurg Seedbed
(dandelion seed heads) Seedbed is a personal response to the feeling of not having a child. Lisa uses the heads of the dandelion to symbolise grief. She wants to explore what the feelings of the woman are in relation to motherhood. Through material manipulation, the idea of what these feelings and thoughts are is revealed. Being surrounded by mothers while the body clock ticks on has led to questioning whether it is in our human nature to bear children.
Noel Molloy Flag 2016 (holy water bottles, paint) Combining associative elements of holy water bottles in the shape of teh Virgin Mary and the colours of the Irish tricolor, Flag 2016 offers a pithy visual allusion to the continuing association between State and religion in Ireland.
Jane Queally Himalayan Luck (photograph, pony shoe, Himalayan stones) This work is concerned with the notion of the universal appeal and attachment to good luck charms or talismans, and the wonder/value of found objects. I found this pony shoe in 1999 while trekking in the Himalayan mountains in Ladakh, in the Northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. This is supposedly considered an omen of very good fortune in the Himalaya. It is displayed with a photograph of one aspect of the topographic terrain and two stones which manifest its otherworldly quality. It is popularly referred to as The Land of Numerous Passes, The Land of Mystic Lamas, The Broken Moon and The Last Shangrila.
Fiona Reilly Time Spent (bus tickets, blu tac, double sided tape) Time Spent is part of an artistic process that involves a combination of performative and event-based actions and the production of objects. Site, context and circumstance are of fundamental importance and works often emerge in response to personal and social situations. For Time Spent, every bus ticket from every journey taken by the artist on Dublin Bus since 2008 has been reassembled in chronological order, in a a simple yet eloquent physical representation of the usually ephemeral nature of the everyday.
Ian Wieczorek All Heart
(photograph, drawing on paper, plaster of Paris, battery, canned heart) All Heart is a collection of works in a variety of media, all responding to the theme of ‘the heart’ in different ways, reflecting the serendipitous nature of artistic process.
The Cabinet of Wonders Email: cabinetofwonders999@gmail.com Website: https://cabinetofwonderssite.wordpress.com/ Linenhall Arts Centre Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo F23 AN24 Ireland Tel: (+) 94 9023733 Email: linenhall@anu.ie Website: www.thelinenhall.com Ian Wieczorek Tel: (+) 353 86 8200886 Email: mail@ianwieczorek.com Website: www.ianwieczorek.com