In my lens-based practice, utilising both moving and still images, I am drawn to the liminal spaces between reality and memory, the present and the past. My work explores themes of identity, loss, and longing. I am fascinated by the way we construct and reconstruct our histories and how these narratives shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

The landscape is so often the only surviving witness, the silent bystander to momentous historical events. The forest as a place of mystery, potential danger, but also a hiding place and sanctuary, has been a source of inspiration for me as an artist for many years. Recently, I have turned my lens onto the Irish woodlands and am particularly interested in the historical connection to oppression during English colonial rule.

While the focus of my practice has shifted to moving image, I will continue my dialogue with still photography. Instead of compositing images in post-production as I have done for my project entitled The Rocket’s Red Glare, I am finding ways in which to reference the visual language of collage or digital manipulation in-camera as the image is being exposed, for example by using an intense light source highlighting certain areas to make them look superimposed and artificial.

Ultimately, my work is an invitation to pause and reflect, to engage with the complexities of memory and identity, and to find beauty in the ephemeral nature of our existence.