Retreat to Stone, Stone in Retreat
Catalyst Arts Graduate Award Show 2021
Nollaig Molloy
Thursday 25 March - Thursday 15 April 2021
It became a regular occurrence to walk the fields as we grew up, sometimes I would venture on my own, walking through the fields of maize, as tall as myself. I wandered the fields, climbed the gates and down the ditch to the circled trees. As time went on I became more familiar with the network of trees and gorse, and made note of the clearings.
Retreat to Stone, Stone in Retreat is a phrase derived from periods of time spent at three specific sites in artist Nollaig Molloy’s rural locality. These places are inhabited by limestone outcrops, hawthorn trees and gorse bushes; the ever-present yet changing characteristics of the land. The visual and physical impact of the quarry industry, archaeological discovery and local authority engineering magnifies a human presence on the land. These effects are representative of a relationship that is fixated on value; the extraction of valuable resources and the priority of industrial or historical significance. Molloy offers an alternative exploration that is ventured through personal observation, poignant memory and tangible experience.
Molloy processes her visits to these three sites by collecting footage and audio, capturing resonance through sound and gesture. The series of videos are accompanied by a seismic sound piece sung by HIVE choir, a Belfast vocal ensemble. Fragments of language within legislation pertaining to the protection of these sites are rearranged with other formal texts to compose a vocal response. The work offers a wide range of perspectives that Molloy explores by juxtaposing digital mapping systems against recordings that frame the sensitivity of basic human interactions with nature.
Vocals by Hive Choir: Marty Byrne, John D'Arcy, Elen Flugge, Emily DeDakis, Una Lee, Aisling McCormick, Andrew Kenny, Nollaig Molloy and Laura Sheary
Sound mastered by John Darcy
Sound recordist Ciarán MacAoidh
Edited by Nollaig Molloy
Nollaig Molloy lives and works in the northwest of Ireland. She graduated from Belfast College of Art in 2020, with a Master’s of Fine Art. She was recently awarded a Development Residency with Belfast Print Workshop and the Emerging Practice Award with Fingal Arts Office - the Public Art Project Infrastructure in 2018 is yet to be realised.
Recent exhibitions include BA and MFA Degrees Show at The MAC Belfast, a group exhibition Keep-Dry at Catalyst Arts Belfast in 2020 and Normal Position, Show Position at Platform Arts Belfast in 2019. From 2017-2018 she worked on a collaborative arts project entitled Sounding the Shore which included a series of radio programmes between Ballyleague Men's Shed, Rosfm and Athlone Community Radio station. She was awarded the CREATE Artist In the Community, Project Realisation Award in 2017 to support the realisation of Sounding the Shore. In 2017 she presented a solo exhibition, Extraction at the Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim as part of the artist residency programme. She has also received an Individual Artist Bursary from Leitrim Arts Office in 2017 and from Roscommon Arts Office between 2015-2020.
The Catalyst Arts Graduate Award is offered on an annual basis to a graduating student from Belfast College of Art’s BA and MFA Fine Art programmes. This Award supports an early career artist to develop a new body of work for a solo presentation with Catalyst Arts.
This programme is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Art Fund.
