Focusing my work on stitching, my current practice is based on research into the journeys young Irish girls made to Australia and beyond during the Great Famine.
I am using wool and cotton along with mixed media, such as tea bags, foliage, hand and machine embroidery and crochet, to create miniature pieces, which suggest a narrative whereby those migrating girls had these hidden treasures as a momentum and reminder of their country which they left behind, knowing that they would never be able to return.
By tea dying cotton shirts, to give them an antiquated appearance, then crocheting and knitting both dolls and teddy bears, along with other
memorabilia created in mixed media, which are all placed in the torn and worn cuffs, hems and pockets of these garments, I am creating an imagery of
ghostly objects gathered by these girls to bring on their journeys.
Vessels. Honoring the Irish Famine Girls
Hidden objects in pockets
Tea chest with objects
Hidden trinkets in pocket
Doll and book in pocket
Hidden objects in pockets and pouch
Sleeve of shirt with hidden objects
Sleeve cuff with hidden objects
Cuff with hidden trinkets
Apron with hidden trinkets and objects