Camera at the Mart (2022)
“In Spring 2022, I undertook an artist residency at Roscommon Mart to produce work for a group show, 'An Animate Land' at Roscommon Arts Centre (RAC). Taking its title from the weekly mart reports which traditionally chart livestock sales, trends and mart turnout,
'Camera at the Mart' reflects on the role an artist can play in a space conventionally reserved for the business of livestock sales. The photographs and materials produced during my residency represent observations and experiences of this space and are presented through a collection of postcards, signage, stationary and paper works. Throughout the duration of the show, postcards were displayed at Roscommon Mart and in the Arts Centre and served as an invitation for audiences to respond to the work with their own mart experiences or farming narratives. This presentational strategy offered opportunities for exchange between two audiences, who, despite their close proximity rarely mingle or interact.”
ARTIST ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Gratitude to Mart Manager, Maura Quigley, who, in the spring of 2022 gave up her precious time, welcomed me to her place of work and gave me a grand tour of the Mart. Thanks to Anthony Naughton and Emily McGuire, who despite their fairly busy schedule, preparing for a special sale of breeding heifers, dry cows and bullocks, endured me hovering around their desks, asking questions entirely unrelated to this sale. Special thanks for the loan of the ‘Box for the Cards’ used to display the postcards at Roscommon Arts Centre. Thanks to Mary Geraghty, Yuan Villanueva and Malcolm Wren in the Canteen, for feeding hungry farmers all year around and for entertaining me with insights about their eating habits. Thanks to all the Mart staff, Auctioneers, Buyers, Sellers and Farmers from the Roscommon area for engaging with me during my residency at the Mart.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Thematically 'An Animate Land' looked at our relationships with the land and landscape, and reflects on the role agricultural processes of production and habitual farming practices play in this negotiation, exploring the role of trade and the value systems around both art and agriculture. This group show featured work by Miriam O’ Connor, Laura Fitzgerald and Marian Balfe and was curated by Naomi Draper. The show ran from May 20th - July 01st, 2022.
ARTIST ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Gratitude to Mart Manager, Maura Quigley, who, in the spring of 2022 gave up her precious time, welcomed me to her place of work and gave me a grand tour of the Mart. Thanks to Anthony Naughton and Emily McGuire, who despite their fairly busy schedule, preparing for a special sale of breeding heifers, dry cows and bullocks, endured me hovering around their desks, asking questions entirely unrelated to this sale. Special thanks for the loan of the ‘Box for the Cards’ used to display the postcards at Roscommon Arts Centre. Thanks to Mary Geraghty, Yuan Villanueva and Malcolm Wren in the Canteen, for feeding hungry farmers all year around and for entertaining me with insights about their eating habits. Thanks to all the Mart staff, Auctioneers, Buyers, Sellers and Farmers from the Roscommon area for engaging with me during my residency at the Mart.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Thematically 'An Animate Land' looked at our relationships with the land and landscape, and reflects on the role agricultural processes of production and habitual farming practices play in this negotiation, exploring the role of trade and the value systems around both art and agriculture. This group show featured work by Miriam O’ Connor, Laura Fitzgerald and Marian Balfe and was curated by Naomi Draper. The show ran from May 20th - July 01st, 2022.
