Presented in TRISKEL SAMPLE Project Space as part of Cork Harbour Festival
Silent Voices, 2024, Film. (8.15)
‘My art is the way I re-establish the bonds that unite me to the universe. It is a return to the maternal source”, Ana Mendieta.
Featuring the artist herself, her daughter, and her mother, this film project by local artist Etaoin Melville investigates matrilineal lines, patterns that are passed from one generation to another, and mothers’ primal instincts as protectors and mothers, in juxtaposition to the fairytale dress featured, representing societal expectations of our gender. The vast ocean background mirrors our cycles with its tides, the passing of time, and the inherent strength of these bonds.
Artist/Writer/Director: Etaoin Melville/ Videography by Giles Carey Visuals/ Vocals by Erin Gallagher/ Sound mix by Cormac O Connor/ Cast: Lola Melville, Gana Roberts and Etaoin Melville
About the Artist
Etaoin Melville is a Cork-based visual artist and a member of Sample Studios. Using colour and form as abstract emotional expression, she seeks to interrogate the complexity of female experience. In collaboration with circus performance, musical composition and videography, the work manifests as live performance and exhibition art. The research examines the old and the new of domestic life; the conflict between instinctual experience and societal expectation, often using humour to create art in a state of improvisation, spontaneity and lightness.
Her recent work explores the changing roles of mother and daughter, whilst reflecting the theme of lineage to gain perspective on these shifting identities. This body of work has manifested in collaboration with Linda Cullen, fusing visual art with vertical dance for a performance. Solo exhibitions of her work have recently been presented in Working Artist Studios, Ballydehob and 8 Cows Gallery. She has been awarded two residencies in 2024, in TRISKEL SAMPLE Project Space and Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre.