Labour of the Months by Muireann Kelleher
SEE/SAW Degree Show
Crawford College of Art and Design, Cork
1st June 2018
Muireann Kelleher, a post-graduate of MTU Crawford College of Art and Design, focused on contemporary drawing and mark-making for her Degree Show in 2018. In her piece, Labour of the Months, Kelleher created a machine-like structure in the form of a four legged unit with a steel cage sitting atop of the construction. On closer inspection the viewer notices multiple pens dangling from the unit – the nib of each poised pen gently touching reams of paper underneath, waiting patiently to be blown across the page by a nearby placed fan.
In action, Kelleher’s work referenced the automatic drawing experiments of the Surrealists, and in a similarly playful way she allowed opportunities for chance and spontaneity to take place through the abstract movement of the pens. In contrast to this freedom of movement, the drawings were amusingly created by the rigid controlled structure from which they hung.
Through this machine driven process the work explored areas of science and technology, creating questions surrounding weight, gravity, autonomy and kinetics. Although Kelleher used a technological approach, the piece also shines with a creative performative quality - “All of the markings on paper are the result of a surreal dance of pens” – CIRCA Magazine https://circaartmagazine.net/crawford-college-of-art-and-design-degree-show-muireann-kelleher/ .
In this way, Kelleher shows how contemporary drawing can be successfully utilised across various disciplines to communicate both art and scientific investigation. This was also recognised by MTU, who awarded Kelleher with the CIT STEAM Exhibition Award, an award which is offered annually in order to recognise and promote artists who involve science, technology, engineering and mathematics within their artistic practice.
Images courtesy of the artist: Muireann Kelleher