I am an interdisciplinary visual artist based in North Dublin. My practice is socially engaged, following the complicated nature of queer people’s lives through the mediums of film, performance and sculpture. My research takes interest in trauma and its complex effects on the human psych. Through representation of the queer body in my work it subverts the strict cultural narratives that exist around gender and sexuality.
Impact Statement is a collection of work that engages with the mental, physical and social impact of abuse on the body of queer survivors. The central device of the work is a spoken word piece, formatted from the structuring of victim impact statements. There is a podium placed in the space that plays a testimony. The film works feature the receptive act of smearing clay across skin. The use of clay reflects the mechanism of traditional artmaking, reclaiming the queer body in relation to the binary bodies represented in art history. The framing of the camera is fragments of the body post-abuse. The collection of film, sound and sculptural installation explores the intimidating nature of coming forward after abuse, creating dialogues around the structures of the judicial system in Ireland. Through the format of the self-portrait the work draws a line between the public and private spaces of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and its aftermath.