I am asking for help to fund my first solo exhibition in Ireland, Mass Paths at the Custom House Studios and Gallery, Mayo in Ireland.
Mass Paths is a series of handcrafted prints, landscapes of the Irish countryside embedded with absence. They portray the traces of paths walked by Catholics to reach illegal mass during penal times. I spent years researching mass paths and other penal sites. I hunted down the locations and followed in the footsteps of the thousands of people who walked to penal sites across Ireland. Then recorded these reenactments in an attempt to capture their stories of resilience, courage and commitment so that they are not lost.
I have been experimenting with converting the digital photographs of my walks into contact negatives, printing cyanotypes, then toning them, opening up a dialogue between photography, painting and etching. I am engaged by how this multi-layered process echoes that of a landscape which has been coated over the years by the complexities and tensions of politics, society, religion and people.
I have been offered a show at the Custom House Studios and Gallery, in March 2018. Your support would cover the cost of printing and framing my one-off prints. It would pay for the cost of transporting the work, along with my travel and accommodation expenses. I am excited about showing my work at the Customs House Studios and Gallery, as this particular gallery is situated near many penal sites and close to the stories, which are at the heart of my work.
I am an Irish artist based in the UK. I graduated from Nottingham Trent University with BA (Hons) in photography and have an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design, USA. Since graduating, I have been steadily developing my artistic practice. Over the last 4 years I have worked hard to progress my project Mass Paths and cyanotype printing processes. I currently balance my work as an artist with looking after my 2 small children. Since the confirmation of this exhibition, I have applied to a number of funding bodies unfortunately the competition was very high. However I will continue to look for funds to bolster this appeal.
Mass Paths has received lots of positive interest. In 2016 I was awarded a Grain Bursary, an AA2A residency at Coventry University and was selected for PhotoIreland’s New Irish Works Project, resulting in the publication of my project. I received a grant from the Arts Council England in 2015. Recent group exhibitions include: Impressions Biennial, Galway; New Irish Works, The Library Project, Dublin; New Irish Works, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris; Nottingham Castle Open 2016.These opportunities have enabled me to move my practice forward. Your support would help me build on this momentum and achieve my first solo exhibition in Ireland.
Thank you for taking the time to read my project and you can view more of my work at www.caitrionadunnett.com . I would greatly appreciate it if you could back my project, donations of all sizes are welcome, please look at my reward list.
Cnoc Na Toinne Mass Path, toned cyanotype
Path to Catsby Cave, toned cyanotype