I’m happy to say I have some work in the exhibition, Forming Words, which is taking place at Clotworthy House, in Antrim, Northern Ireland.  The exhibition runs from 10 March to 10 May. Unfortunately there isn’t much information online about the exhibition but you can find out about the venue here.

Happily I can share the works I have in the exhibition here.

For the exhibition artists were asked to create works that are inspired by text. I used the book Flights of Fancy by Peter Tate as my starting point. I’m fascinated by the myths, legends and superstitions around birds so this is what I used to inspire my pieces.

I took 6 birds that had a piece of poetry or quote from a play or a myth about them.

They were

Dove

Time doth work what no man knoweth,
Time doth us the subject prove,
With time still affection groweth
To the faithful turtledove

By the Elizabethan Poet Sir Philip Sidney

Raven

 

How is it with you ravens, whence are you come
With gory beak a the dawning of the day?
You lodged last night I ween [suppose]
Where you knew the corpses were lying

Viking Song

Owl

 

Yet we drove their ranks before us, ere the fall of eventide,
As we closed in, an owl flew o’er us and the gods were on
our side.

Aristophanes: The Wasps

Swallow

 

He comes, he comes, who loves to hear
Soft sunny hours and seasons fair
The swallow hither comes for rest
His sable wind and snowy breast.

Ancient Greek childrens’ song

Eagle

 

Nay if thou be that princely eagle’s birds
Show thy descent by gazing ‘gainst the sun.

Henry VI, Part III (Act II, Scene 1)

Wren

He that hurts a robin or a wren
Will never prosper on sea or land

Traditonal saying

 

I’ll do posts