I am amazed to write that I am three quarters through the book already. It’s quite a light read interspersed with illustrations in the form of paintings and drawings and the odd photograph. The author recounts a simple life, yet with the battle for survival against the land and elements. He speaks of the importance of community and of what it is to be part of the landscape. There are also some useful clues for the trip – the rocky terrain means hammering in tent pegs is impossible and guy ropes need to be weighted by rocks. The wind and sea can swell up and produce cold wet weather at a moments notice, trips to the mainland in a rowing boat are therefore not for the faint hearted.
I now find myself packing a suitcase, carefully considering what I should take to Inishlacken and what I should leave behind. I have no idea what I might make whilst I am there; it’s possible I might not make anything at all. This makes the decision of what to take with me quite tricky. Shall I take drawing materials? Or will it be a camera? The 15kg weight allowance prevents too much luggage; in the end the decision is one I cannot make since my possessions are judged by their weight not personal or artistic value.
Pretty much everything is ready now and I am counting down the hours to the flight. It occurs to me that the limited electricity supply on the island may make charging electrical items difficult and so at the last minute I leave my video camera behind. Besides, I want to experience the island in a real way, tangible and raw.
The book has arrived!
A brown paper wrapped parcel, bigger than I had expected and left outside the door by our local postman. Underneath the first wrapper is another layer of bubble wrap and inside this a further covering of thin white tissue. Three Men on an Island has a navy blue glossy dust jacket with a watercolour illustration on the front, title and author names. Inside, there is a combination of text with pen and ink line drawings, watercolours and oil paintings reproduced onto very heavy off-white paper. As I am flicking through the pages, my eagerness is rewarded with illustrations that are of their time, depicting life on Inishlacken in the 1950’s.
Now I know what my spare time this afternoon is for, reading about the island and trying to understand and connect with experiences of three other creative people.
An email arrives with more detailed information about the project. It has been written by the organiser, Rosie, whose studio sits in the centre of Roundstone, the mainland town closest to the island. Since 2001, artists have been spending several days each year on Inishlacken, talking, exchanging views, making work, walking the island, listening to local archaeologists talking about the island, giving readings of poetry and prose plus holding exhibitions in Roundstone and Belfast. In previous years, artists have spent days on Inishlacken, returning to the mainland at nightfall. 2007 will be different; we will be staying during the entire project on the island in the last remaining house that is habitable (also including the shed as an extension to the sleeping arrangements!).
Ireland has a grand literary heritage, artists and writers have visited Inishlacken for generations. In the 1950’s James Dillon, Gerard Campbell and James McIntyre spent a summer there writing and illustrating the now rare book Three Men on an Island and it is in respect of this that the project was conceived.
I will need a tent and waterproof clothing (after all, this is Ireland), good walking boots and a resolve to leave behind my home comforts. It is suggested that I read several books prior to the project. Three Men on an Island is at the top of the list so I consult the local library and Amazon and neither can offer a copy. In the end it is through a rare book search that I find only one copy in the UK and one in the US – at the lavish price of £52 or 200 dollars! Nevertheless I reach deep into my pocket and order the UK copy.
I am beginning to get to know this island from afar and starting to mull over the potential for this trip. Right now I have a lot of work on, mostly administrative, and I need to ensure my head is in the right place before I leave England. Over time, you get to know your shortcomings, one of mine is not to allow myself enough quiet moments to think and consider. I have decided to do a long, contemplative walk the day before I leave and then travel to Ireland in advance of the starting date and spend a couple of days in Roundstone THINKING!
An impulsive visit to the west coast of Ireland led to staying overnight in the coastal town of Roundstone, west of Galway. Standing on the edge of small mooring dock overlooking the Atlantic Ocean it was possible to see a group of three islands some 1200 metres away, two accessed by a roadway but the last of which was totally separated from the mainland. Fascinated and inspired by the Irish landscape and its people I find my mind wandering off to notions of chartering a boat to visit the island, spending time there allowing the terrain to permeate into my thoughts and inspire and influence my work. The following day, before leaving to return to England, I noticed an open door underneath a sign proclaiming ‘Artists Studio’. Of course I went inside – its what you do if you are an artist on holiday – and was confronted by several paintings of rich colour and texture. A brief conversation ensued; the artist and I talked of making work, the difference in our gallery and funding systems, the lot of artists in general. Upon leaving I wrote a short message in the visitors book including my email addresses.
Wind forward a few days and I am back in the UK and my curiosity in the island is still aroused. I discover through the net that the island is called Inishlacken and that it has no electricity, roads and only one habitable dwelling with running water and a generator. One search informs me that this property is in fact for sale (price on application), the estate agents site includes some breathtaking photographs of the terrain. The next time I log on to my email there is a message from a name I recognise – it is the artist from Roundstone. Her email contains an invitation to participate in something called The Inishlacken Project. Several artists will spend time on the island to gather inspiration and ideas over a week in June, would I like to be one of them? My excitment is immediate and hastily checking my diary, I realise that, as luck would have it, I have nothing written into the week of the project. Inishlacken here I come!
