about his project ‘Folk Radio’ in County Clare

Laura Ní Fhlaibhín, Spirited rail, 2020, stainless steel, charred horse reins, wheels, 200 cm 2 frame; all photographs by Damian Griffiths, © Laura Ní Fhlaibhín, courtesy of Palfrey Gallery, London

Rituals of Care

JOYCE CRONIN INTERVIEWS LAURA NÍ FHLAIBHÍN ABOUT HER RECENT EXHIBITION IN LONDON.

LAURA NÍ FHLAIBHÍN sifts stories, materials and traces associated with site, memory, myth, narratives of care and the casting of spells, creating complex but pithy material scenarios. These may incorporate condensed sculptural images, mineral deposits, instructional texts and formal gatherings of elements that serve also as ritual artefacts. Her recent body of work examines the nurturing relationship between her cousin Róisín, a teenager with autism, and Róisín’s horse, Rockie.

Joyce Cronin: I was first introduced to your work at your recent solo exhibition, ‘Roisín, Silver, Rockie’ at Palfrey Gallery in London (22 January – 22 February). Can you tell me about that particular work and how it came about? Laura Ní Fhlaibhín: It came about through an invitation from one of my tutors on the MFA at Goldsmiths, John Chilver, who co-directs the space. I became aware of the association with horses in that street. Palfrey are a breed of horse, bred in the middle ages to be particularly dainty for women! There was a possibility that there had been stables in number 8, which is the gallery.

JC: Had you already started working with your cousin, Róisín? Was that project already underway? LNF: No, it wasn’t, but the focus or preoccupation with working around horses had been on my mind through my MFA. Charred horse reins were an element of my MFA show, and I could see a visual language becoming evident. When I char them, they gnarl and curl and twist; the shapes can be quite calligraphic, symbols appear. I was interested in connecting these codes with ways of communicating – cross-species, interspecies or allegiances. I was witnessing and experiencing the support and the kinship between my cousin and horses in her equine therapy and saw her comfort and ease around horses.