The Unexpected homecoming
2020 marks the year that I have spent equal parts of my life in my native Denmark and my adopted Ireland. A recent residency in Ballinglenn Arts Foundation, courtesy of the County Cork Arts office, was a life changing experience - both for my art practise and for my understanding about myself as an international artist living in Ireland. It really made me see why Ireland resonates so deeply with me. Indeed, travelling to the Céide fields and Ballycastle, Co Mayo, was unexpectedly like a homecoming. The raw, unapologetic landscape with its magnificent beauty went right into my DNA. Spending time amongst the stones on the Céide fields—and trying to imagine how it was when they were deliberately placed there some 6000 years ago to create dwellings and field systems—was like ‘seeing’ the blood run through my veins. Once bustling with life, they now lie in patterns, like rivers and lakes, vessels of history that allow the passerby a momentary glimpse into life so long ago—but only If you take the time to stop and feel and listen. Each individual stone tells a story, as does each crack and crevice that runs between and through them. I got to know some of them. I let the landscape soak into me, and I came to a vivid awareness that where we call home can be many places.
I have found so much inspiration for my work within that ancient landscape. Whether it is sculpture, drawing, wearables, or textiles, the core of what I do—both content and methods—comes from ancient technologies and knowledge. I have my own back yard foundry, and years of research and experimentation has fine-tuned my sculptural and wearables casting skills, which are based on bronze-age technology. Living in west Cork, Ireland, means nature is always in abundance: the woods and beaches are the living sources of my inspiration, and are reflected in the colours, lines, and patterns of my drawings and textiles. I am blessed to have this on my doorstep. New seeds are sown daily and, in tune with the seasons, grow into ideas and concepts that ensure my art practise remains constant and dynamic.
I have found so much inspiration for my work within that ancient landscape. Whether it is sculpture, drawing, wearables, or textiles, the core of what I do—both content and methods—comes from ancient technologies and knowledge. I have my own back yard foundry, and years of research and experimentation has fine-tuned my sculptural and wearables casting skills, which are based on bronze-age technology. Living in west Cork, Ireland, means nature is always in abundance: the woods and beaches are the living sources of my inspiration, and are reflected in the colours, lines, and patterns of my drawings and textiles. I am blessed to have this on my doorstep. New seeds are sown daily and, in tune with the seasons, grow into ideas and concepts that ensure my art practise remains constant and dynamic.