The Burren region of Ireland offers an environment rich with growing things enmeshed in a push-pull coexistence with thousands of years of densely-layered human history. Thick brambles grow out of stone walls which have been repurposed from old buildings – themselves made of older walls – while the roofs of abandoned homes become forests.
Utility poles stand as an essential symbol of human achievement, communicating that modern civilization exists in a place, but here they are as much scaffolds for vines and lichens as they are supports for technology. In turn, these plants continue the form of the poles as they deteriorate over time. This tension between the natural and built environments resembles our deepest relationships: two independent selves transformed into a third being.
The first installation of Slow Entanglement took place at Burren College of Art, as part of the undergraduate show, Wild with Foam and Glitter (December, 2021).
The work initially consisted of seven large prints and a sound/projection element.
Video still from Slow Entanglement (linked below). The mix of gathered sound and incremental merging of images expresses the glacial timescale of change in both the Burren and our lives.
Video still from Slow Entanglement.
A refined installation for the Minneapolis College of Art and Design commencement exhibition (May, 2022) featured four larger prints, projection, and an exhibition book.
Small Entanglements is a companion book, collecting additional moments of tension and connection that expand beyond the typology of Slow Entanglement.
For a fuller experience, please consider playing the sound/video component while reviewing the images above.