Blog entry for 24th June
This evening my first piece of work was created; it is the first in a planned series of four entitled Memorial to the Islanders. Thinking about life (and death) on Inishlacken, the need to take the dead to the mainland by boat for their last blessings and burial and all this at the mercy of the weather, typifies the routine imposed onto life here by the elements. The Irish are known for their religious beliefs, looking from the outside for those of us from other cultures, sometimes it can seem more like religious fervor. So I am left wondering what impact a death must have had on this small close-knit community. Although any life that is lost is a tragedy to the Inishlacken Islanders it must have been a keenly felt loss. Not just because the religious rituals could not take place here but also because the size, efficiency and viability of the community would be less strong with the loss just one person.
Memorial to the Islanders I began as a private work but ended as one involving the whole Inishlacken community. My intention to make 200 paper boats (one for each islander) became a shared task and by 3.30 in the afternoon, without any coercion on my part, pretty much everyone was around the table in Finklater’s Cottage folding, pulling and teasing paper boats from torn sketchbook sheets. Mo, Siobhan, Emma, Jenny, Sean, Kate, Phil set up an industrious boat-making factory with an average work rate of three boats per minute. In a short time we had made 160, and to my sadness also ran out of paper. To mitigate this two sheets of larger watercolour paper was used to make a flagship and rear guard vessel, big enough to have carried the remaining 40 of the population.
Today is also St John’s Day, celebrated across Ireland and linked to the longest day but also a Catholic observance. Fires are lit along the coastline and this evening several could be seen from here, glowing along the mainland and the coast of Inishnee island. Today’s windy weather with some showers gave way, as if ordered, to a warm, dry evening so by 11.30pm being outside in the fading light was a pleasant experience
As the light was lost and the moon assumed control, the flaming boats were launched by their makers into a large rock pool whose shape bore a loose resemblance to Inishlacken. Against the darkening sky the flames illuminated the pool and surrounding area as Kate played the Bodrhan in a solemn rhythmic beat. People stopped talking and stood still, watching.
One of the problems of retrospective blogging is that the dates can get confused. And it is no surprise this has happened in my busy and currently rather disorganized life. This entry was in fact written on 22nd June and precedes the last three entries.
More people have arrived today, Mo, Jemima and Siobhan. Talk is about the project next year and artists who are on Rosie's wish list to invite next year.
Went swimming – very cold water – Rosie and Phillip came too and we swam and talked about the Venice Biennale (Rosie went to Venice just before the project started). The opening of the English Pavillion and Tracey Emin’s speech, her desperate attempt never to grow up but to remain disruptive, controversial. Does she need to do this anymore? I read a press article (or was it something on the television?) that stated she was now part of the establishment. Maybe she still feels the need to grab the headline and kick over the traces lest she lose her appeal to the press and publicity to boot.
I’ve thought a lot today about work and the differences here to my everyday life back in England. The most liberating aspect is not being at the mercy of the mobile phone or computer. It has been three days and I feel free! I am running on leisurely Irish time. The practical work has been done at a steady pace and in the company of like-minded people. This makes me question the tendency for life to be so instant and frantic. Deadlines need to be met but at what expense? Does true creativity flourish in a climate of peace and tranquil thought and reflection? Can it truly be manifest from an environment of pressure and brinkmanship?
Blog written 23rd June, 10am
Woke up late, probably something to do with the wine and the good craic last night. Strangely I feel very rested. After clearing up the evenings debris I have decided to walk the south side of the island and search for the Holy Well that is mentioned in Tim Robinson's book 'Connemara, Listen to the Wind'.
"It can be found on the south side flagstone rocks that project out to sea in a shoulder shape. Look for a small hole approx 6 inches in diameter and a couple of feet deep. The Well appears to have been truncated since the top layer of rock has sheared off into the waves, making it shallower than in the past"
The author has dedicated an entire chapter to Inishlacken and the arts project – he speaks of "painters hunkered down amongst the rocky outcrops sheltering from the wind". I like the term hunkered – it is so descriptive and very exocative of the need to get into a sheltered position to protect oneself from the elements when on the island.
The book includes very useful information about the history of the island. It was owned by two families – the Boughtons and the Macreadys – of these two, there are now only Boughtons left – no longer in Ireland but in America.
The book details many geographical features, much of them named after someone or something. Other features have names that have grown out of folklore or legend.
Today the slow-burn ideas for work are gathering pace. Memorial is a word that is recurring in my thoughts, there has to be some way to visibly mark the islanders. I am thinking about survival and what the essentials are for a community to thrive. Food, warmth/shelter, an active economy, a sense of community, the ability to pursue ones beliefs. This is the beginning of a list in my sketchbook which will no doubt grow. The thriving community of Inishlacken numbered almost 200 in its heyday. I may make some work looking at the demise of the community, either a hommage to or a mark of the past. I think the conditions for survival of a community will bring another layer to anything I make.
Blog written 22nd June, 9pm
I have realised I have not updated the blog about my work, so from slow beginnings, my thoughts are beginning to move forward. Here they are..
I am beginning at last to fill my sketchbook with some ideas and information that might have potential. I am intrigued that the island has no burial ground and no church has ever stood here. Regular church worship was dictated by the skill of the boatmen fighting the elements to cross the water. The dead were taken by boat for burial on the mainland. I have been reading a book by Tim Robinson that details the life, traditions and geography of Connemara and this has thrown up useful facts. Rosie has patiently answered my questions about the islanders – I am becoming fascinated by the life they lived and what led to the demise of their community. I think all this information might lead into a piece of work, but I am not sure yet what form this might take.
Blog written on 22nd June at 8pm.
I have now spent almost two days on the island and am getting used to the routine that nature has imposed upon everyone. We are bound by the hours of light and the rhythm of the sea. Our choice of clothes is inextricably linked to the elements – there are few places to shelter if you are walking the island. Its good when rain falls since this means we can use the rainwater to boil and wash dishes or even wash ourselves. Wind direction and tides dictates whether the boat can moor in the harbour or near the beach. The sea affects our diet – Big Pat has just brought forty mackerel caught in his nets on his way to Inishlacken from the mainland. Surprisingly all networks on our mobile phones seem to have a signal, so until my battery runs down I still feel connected to family and the world outside the island.
There are artists from many disciplines here – a photographer, composer, writer, several painters, two printmakers, sculpture and installation artists and myself, performance and lens based work. Holland, Germany, Australia, England and Ireland are represented and there is much discussion and comparison of the different arts systems in each country.
