Visit Róisín her studio on Tuesday 30 July and Thursday 1 August for conversations about botany, ecology and physiology.
During her residency at Uillinn, Róisín will develop work based on field work carried out during previous residencies in 2021 and 2023. This field work focused on daily bicycle journeys to the studio, from Loch Hyne, a saltwater lake and marine nature reserve located 8 kilometres from Skibbereen and from Turk Head at the mouth of the Ilen river. To distract herself from the physical exertion of cycling uphill, Róisín named out loud the flowers that she passed. Back in the studio audio recordings of her journey allowed her to map the locations of different species.
Róisín noted that while cycling, her perception of the wildflowers that lined her route was not of their delicate forms or intricate structures, but simply of sequences of colour unfolding like a woven fabric. The rhythmical activity of cycling also seemed analogous to the steady left-right process of weaving. Developing this analogy, she began exploring processes of weaving, interlacing, and pattern notation.
To challenge herself further in 2023, Róisín began learning the Latin and Irish names of wildflowers by translating transcriptions of audio recordings. She memorized each name by writing it repeatedly, and then tested herself by naming the flowers as she cycled home from the studio. This process of rote learning coupled with explorations of weaving drafts became a starting formal exploration in the studio inspired by typewriter art of the 1950’s and Anni Albers typed weaving designs.
During her residency in 2024, Róisín will focus on making a body of work for exhibition in the Autumn comprising drawings, paper weavings and audio recordings of her journeys. She is also looking forward to engaging in conversations with visitors to the studio, gleaning knowledge from locals and experts in the field of botany, ecology and physiology.