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The
installation comprised two frames - one open, to
view the scene beyond and one, a convex mirror to view the scene behind.
This mirror device is known as a Claude Glass (named after the 17th
century painter - Claude Lorrain) and helped artists in search of the
‘picturesque’ to compose a picture without being distracted by looking
at the actual landscape. The installation attempts to encapsulate the
need for observation and the desire for retreat and reflection.
In 2006, I had a residency at Cill Rialaig artist retreat on the west
coast of Ireland in County Kerry. Nearby was Bolus Head that plunged
down into the Atlantic ocean - next stop Newfoundland!
The headland has been a defensive site for centuries from which to warn of attack or invasion. A derelict World War 2 lookout post and the remains of a 18th century barracks are testimony to the value of this location. Nine miles out into the ocean is the 700 feet high Skellig Michael rock on which the monks established a monastery in the 7th century.
The headland has been a defensive site for centuries from which to warn of attack or invasion. A derelict World War 2 lookout post and the remains of a 18th century barracks are testimony to the value of this location. Nine miles out into the ocean is the 700 feet high Skellig Michael rock on which the monks established a monastery in the 7th century.