Aisling Wilson
Statement
It begins in nature; observing and collecting the organic elements which are everywhere yet unnoticed and uncared for. They far outnumber the population, yet represent it. I decide on elements based on my observations of the perennial seasonal growths that adorn geographical regions, such as the dandelion clocks that embellish Belfast’s summertime coastline. These parts of nature reflect people and their shared geographical identity. They inform monotype prints that are pulled multiple times through the press, making use of the ghost print to create subdued and densely layered works. Natural elements are embossed to leave traces of nature’s impermanence and echo the delicacy and ephemerality of the land they reference. The process and outcomes become a soft, intimate and somewhat cathartic lens to grapple with the complex undertones behind the land they reference. In turn, I am conducting my own quiet introspection of Northern Irish geopolitics while asking – what does it mean to belong to a place?