Ardmanagh Road
Schull
+353868333462
Visual Artist
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www.karenhendyartist.com/siamsatire
This project was commissioned by the Electric Picnic Music Festival in 2012. In collaboration with the local community. We collected 2,500 empty two litre plastic bottles. Each bottle contained an individual coloured LED bulb and battery, The bottles were then installed onto a 8ft x 12ft high cube of MDF board forming a multicoloured octagonal pattern. This was part of the Artist Trail for the music festival.
This was a community project which took place in Shankill, Belfast 2015, the project was based on Belfast painter William Conor (1881-1968). The Images were abstractions of William Conor's work which was based on Belfast life of that time. The Light boxes formed an installation piece at the Spectrum Art Centre, Shankill for the official launch along with a Public Sculpture of William Conor by Holger Lonze. The work which will help to promote dialogue and understanding about the culture of the area as well as creating a focal point for the local community and visitors alike.
The theme of the light box installation for Culture night at Siamsa Tire 2017 was based on the local water cycle, the community of Tralee, Co Kerry were asked to respond on small pre cut perspex squares 25" x 25" with paints. The squares were then slotted into the light box tower which we constructed before the event and when all the panels were completed the tower was hoisted up in the centre of the gallery forming a lighted tower installation. There were 70 panels in total completed over a three hour period.
In 2012 I was accepted on a Fellowship to the Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Co Mayo. During the fellowship I worked with Alex Boyd, well known Scottish photographer documenting the landscape by way of drawings and taking images. We spent the time exploring the area which helped me with my process as a painter, while also helping Alex with his image. It gave me the chance to experience the landscape through this unusual ancient process of wet plate collodion photography. I had the opportunity to explore new areas of the landscape, experiencing visual concept of the land in a different way, finding objects and hearing folklore stories from the local community helped feed into the process of my work on a more deep rooted level.
The result of this project can be experienced through my drawings and paintings of 'The Horse Island Series' 2012.
From 2011 until 2013 I was Artist in Residency with Laois County Council. The residency included working and developing community based projects for both children and adults.
Students were asked to respond to the Sculpture Conflux by Holger C. Lonze commissioned in Camlough, Co. Armagh. A stainless steel mesh and sheet, again 4m high. It takes its inspiration from the natural water cycle and an abstract cloud, while the woven steel references the local linen mill.
The students from Camlough responding to touch or air currents linking their process to the work of Alexander made mobiles in response to the idea of Alexander Calder an American sculptor's work who was known as the originator of the mobile, responding to touch or air currents.
This series of work involves working with silage foil which is everywhere in the landscape and transforming it into what looks like heavily textured traditional landscapes but on closer inspection highlight deep furrows of burnt plastic embedded in the land to highlight the destructive element of this materials in our environment.
