Christina Riley
Inspired by the edge of the sea and the multitude of life revealed at low tide, my time at KNOCKvologan has been spent tracing the coastal edges of Knockvologan paying attention to its details with the desire to more fully experience and understand our fragmented relationship with the natural world.
This project contributes to an ongoing practice which seeks ways of feeling, knowing and living which are reciprocal with nature, encouraging humility and a deeper understanding of where we fit amongst it all. It looks at our impactful but non-central role as humans, seeking ways of reestablishing balance and synchronicity amongst all life on a planet in crisis.
Focusing acutely on the senses through the act of collecting—sights, books, shells, some knowledge, more questions—I have been using digital, film and alternative process photography, ceramics, found objects and natural soundscapes, as well as drawing heavily upon literature which explores nature studies, science, art, philosophy and ecology. The written word serves not only to illustrate, describe and question the world we live in but also acts as an additional tool for unearthing fresh expressions of empathy for fellow human and non-human kin, all of which are interweaved and interdependent in more ways that we have the capacity to know. This research finds delight in the joy of finding out as many as possible.
Displays of found objects celebrate the biological wonders, visual beauty of life and awe-inspiring unknowns at Knockvologan. Lumen prints bring vital local seagrass meadows to the surface. Ceramic pebbles consider intimacy with the landscape and each other. And, with access to the rich library of books at KNOCKvologan, a small collection of books were selected in a collaboration between The Nature Library and KNOCKvologan to share some of the art and literature which has fed into this research.