Release, 2019, Glass, found object, dimensions variable. Photography by Angus Mackay.

Let’s Hook Up

I began this series in 2016 in response to the 8th amendment abortion laws in Ireland, to explore the taboo nature of the female body and sexuality. The pieces are glass illustrations of underwear, they capture the moment after these last items of clothing are taken off. I utilise the narratives of lingerie which fascinate me; the separation from functionality to highly decorative intimate apparel that is sensual and often impractical, creates layers of meaning that are often confusing and contradictory. Glass is the perfect medium to explore this dynamic of power and vulnerability, it is a seductive substance with a contradictory nature - both fragile and dangerous. It has an emotive quality which accentuates the powerful underlying messages presented in its artistic use. In these works, the glass gives a feeling of ephemerality, it emphasises the sense of delicacy and intimacy and the potential breaking of taboo.

Works in this series were first exhibited at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland as part of the Graduate exhibition 2016.