Living and working in Connemara, I shape my practice around the bog’s intricate, interdependent ecosystems. These fragile landscapes thrive on subtle exchanges—between organisms, water, air, and soil—and my work translates this ecological logic into sculptural processes that respond to environmental conditions. This body of work emerges from an ongoing enquiry into the ethics of materiality in art. I am increasingly troubled by the irony of using synthetic plastics to create ecological art. In response, I have turned to biodegradable bio-plastics, aligning my material choices with the environmental values at the heart of my practice. These sculptures are made from natural materials, including bog plants, and are designed to dissolve and decompose over time, re-entering the ecological cycles they reference. Unlike petrochemical plastics, my bio-plastics are alive to their surroundings: they absorb moisture, shift with temperature, and gradually break down. Before disappearing, they sustain microbial life, becoming part of the landscape they once only represented. The hidden world of the bog inspires the forms themselves—Sundews, Bog Beacons, and other organisms that make this environment a living, breathing entity. After the exhibition, the sculptures will be documented as they transform—shrinking, growing mould, and dissolving—so that decomposition becomes not an endpoint but an integral part of the artwork’s lifecycle. My ambition is to continue my research and create locally sustainable work that raises awareness of fragile ecosystems, such as the bogs of the west of Ireland, without adding to their degradation.
