C U LT U R E & B O O K S 1 M O N T H A G O

Artistic License:Deirdre Frost

by PENNY MCCORMICK

6 MIN READ SAVE !

Gloss PublicationsThe Courtyard, 40 Main Street, Blackrock, Co Dublin, IrelandTelephone: +353 1 564 7963 / +353 1 564 7964Email: digital@thegloss.ieWebsite: thegloss.ie

Your email address SIGN UP

C A T E G O R I E SC A T E G O R I E S G L O S S P U B L I C A T I O N SG L O S S P U B L I C A T I O N S

! ! " !

Fashion

Beauty

Interiors

Lifestyle & Travel

Food & Wine

Culture & Books

Features

Events

GlossTV

About The Gloss

Advertise With Us

Magazines For Clients

Copyright © 2021 Gloss Publications LTD. Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Competition T&C's Cookie Policy

B R O U G H T T O L I F E B YL U C K Y B E A R DL U C K Y B E A R D

D E V E L O P E D B YV I S I B L EV I S I B L E

AS THE WINNER OF THE LAVIT GALLERY’S ANNUAL STUDENTCOMPETITION, ARTIST DEIRDRE FROST’S NEW EXHIBITIONEXPLORES HOW WE EXPERIENCE OUR SURROUNDINGS …

Tell us about the inspiration for your new exhibition?Tell us about the inspiration for your new exhibition?

The title of this show “Biophilia” was coined by psychologist and philosopher,Erich Fromm, in the 1970s and the biophilia hypothesis was popularised bybiologist and writer EO Wilson in 1984. It refers to love of life and all that isalive. This body of work is a sustained investigation into the physicality of beingin an urban environment, and how nature and the natural world is perceivedthrough this lens.

Having grown up in a rural environment, I have always been very much aware ofthe changing seasons and of the seasonal cycle of growth of various plantsthroughout each year. Moving in to Cork city about ten years ago, despite themany advantages to urban living, I keenly felt the loss of greenery, the open sky,and the dramatic changes to the landscape that happen in more rural areas, withthe changing weather and seasons.

Looking for nature within the urban environment, it is most apparent in plantpots, contained walled gardens, or in the form of the river, which is contained byits walls. Weeds and wild plants however grow where they can. It is this, thehuman tendency to contain and control nature, alongside the importance ofnature and biodiversity to our physical and mental well-being that I want toexplore, using my own lived experience in Cork city as a case study for theseworks.

By creating these paintings, I hope to set up a space for philosophicalengagement, examining the interplay between man and environment and of ourunderstanding of our role within this.

Tell us about the interesting construction and composition of yourTell us about the interesting construction and composition of yourartworks please?artworks please?

This body of work consists of oil paintings on clear-primed wood, and includestwo diptychs and a triptych, which can be presented in multiple formats. Thisreplicates the constant reforming of the urban landscape through a cycle ofconstruction and dereliction, alongside the seasonal cycle of plant forms, whichgrow opportunistically throughout this. It is also intended that the multipleformats of these pieces re-stage, for the viewer, the experience of moving throughthe city – approaching the same buildings and landscapes from diberent viewpoints, and thus the experience being diberent each time.

I allow the grain and cguration on the wood to inform the composition andbecome an integral part of the work. Plywood is both a man-made industriallymanufactured material, and an organic natural substance, therefore containingthe two elements that I am investigating – nature and the man-made.

I turn the buildings in Cork back into maquette-like structures within thepaintings, as I want to emphasise the fact that they are man-made conceptions. Itallows me to open up walls in the buildings, which helps give a sense of depthand perspective. This is in the manner of Piero Della Francesca’s “Flagellation ofChrist”, or of a Hopper painting. I hope that this will give the viewer anembodied feeling that they are in a dimensional environment.

Have you any favourite artworks from this exhibition?Have you any favourite artworks from this exhibition?

I found “River” – which is a triptych loop – particularly rewarding to make. Icalled in my sister Caitríona’s drone hying expertise one day. I wanted toenhance the feeling of maquette or model-like structures, and believed that usingfootage from above in addition to photo documentation and repeat visits wouldallow me to enhance the toy-like quality of the buildings, and the idea that wehave the ability to manipulate them to suit ourselves.

The painting uses clusters of buildings right along the river, which I rearrangedover three 80 x 80cm boards. I wanted the painting to attach as a continuousloop, mirroring the continuous how of the river itself. The buildings arerearranged with each iteration of the format, rehecting the gradual change of thebuilt landscape over time, while the river remains constant. It was a challenge toget the three boards to stitch up compositionally as I painted them, and involvedconstant rearranging and checking to see that it worked each of three ways. Itwas only when I got to install them at the gallery that I was sure it all worked. Iowe a huge thank you to James in the Lavit gallery for installing it with such careand attention!

How and where do you work?How and where do you work?

I recently completed a six-month residency in Sample-Studios [in Cork], whichwas of great benect to my practice. It gave me space in which to work, as well as acommunity of artists to engage with – all overseen by a very proactive andsupportive director, Aoibhie McCarthy.

I worked from home during recent lockdowns, which was challenging as I hadplanned on taking this opportunity to make larger scale pieces for the Lavitexhibition. Luckily my husband was patient when it came to kitchen takeovers,as well as cnding the television temporarily blocked by boards of wood, andaccess cut ob to the hall etc!

How has your work evolved do you think?How has your work evolved do you think?

Yes, my work has changed dramatically since beginning my degree at theCrawford College of Art and Design in 2017. I found it exciting to try outdiberent ideas and processes, from making drawings on primed footballs, tousing netting, mirrors and slide projectors to installation pieces duringworkshops. I took the opportunity to go on a three month Erasmus to Cluj,Romania to attend the renowned University of Art and Design there. They havea very active Erasmus programme, which gave me exposure to diberent ideasaround what was happening in art in Italy, Germany, France, Poland, Russia,Uzbekistan, and Romania. The art history programme in the Crawford isfascinating as well, which helped me to get a much better understanding ofcontemporary art and ideas. It wasn’t until fourth year that I really began todistil this wealth of information and experience and get a much more focusedidea of my own area of interest, and to develop work in an area of investigationthat felt meaningful and personal to me. The current body of work in the LavitGallery is a development and maturing of this work. In my upcoming residencyin the Backwater studios, I hope to expand on ideas and to push my work on in anew direction.

Need to know:Need to know: Deidre Frost’s Biophilia online exhibition at LavitGallery, Wandesford Quay, Clarke’s Bridge, Cork, opens on February 11 – 28. Itwill be accompanied by opening words by artist Aideen Barry, and will also havea series of online tours and talks; www.lavitgallery.com.

READ MORE

1 DAY AGO B Y T H E G L O S ST H E G L O S S

Everyone’s Walking The Dog!Part Thirteen

1 DAY AGO B Y A I S L I N N C O F F E YA I S L I N N C O F F E Y

10 Transeasonal Sweaters to WearNow

10 HOURS AGO B Y T H E G L O S ST H E G L O S S

The Ultimate Gourmet Getaway

LOVETHEGLOSS.IE

Sign up to our MAILING LIST now for a roundup ofthe latest fashion, beauty, interiors and entertainingnews from THE GLOSS MAGAZINE’s dailydispatches.

?

Your email address

Choose Your Categories

SIGN UP

FA S H I O NFA S H I O N B E A U T YB E A U T Y I N T E R I O R SI N T E R I O R S L I F E S T Y L E & T R AV E LL I F E S T Y L E & T R AV E L P O S I T I V E LY T H E G L O S SP O S I T I V E LY T H E G L O S S F O O D & W I N EF O O D & W I N E C U LT U R E & B O O K SC U LT U R E & B O O K S F E AT U R E SF E AT U R E S G L O S S S H O PG L O S S S H O P

! " # ! !$

!

"

#

$

SH

ARE