Mary Whitty

“In February I stayed at Live Art Ireland for their In-between Residency, where I spent time researching my ongoing and evolving body of work. During my time there, I developed a clearer grasp on my thought processes, and some questions and answers that lay within my practice re-emerged that I had previously been grappling with during my studio time back home. 

My aim was to research the role objects and materials play in performance, the kinds of objects/materials that will help to convey certain concepts through live-art, and what ideas might form specifically through knitting and spinning.  

This residency taught me that I am drawn towards corners, quiet spaces and hidden contexts, and I unexpectedly spent some time reflecting on the joy that the martial art Aikido has given me over the years, specifically how it brought me to performance art despite it being something I do outside of my art practice. I thought about the importance of clear and unapologetic boundaries Aikido taught me as a petite woman, and developed a better understanding of why I am specifically drawn to materials that are traditionally related to women and craft within performance. I studied contemporary applied art and the lines are often blurred between them which this residency gave me time to think about and explore.

I used my body to become entangled in material (in this instance yarn), and when there were breaks in the clouds, I explored Live Art Ireland’s grounds in search of spaces that felt like emerging opportunities for performance. I used photography and video as a sketchbook to capture and mimic the surrounding space. A continuous thought process repeated in me, “the trees are entangled and so am I”. Apple trees can get canker if their branches overlap and rub against each other, and as pruning helps the trees, by knitting I am untangling the parts of myself that I struggle to get on with or forgive.   

My time at Live Art Ireland flew by and was invaluable for the development of my studio practice, and since returning to my studio I can really see how my work has evolved for the better. I also have discovered plenty of new artists from Live Art Ireland’s library! Thank you Deej and everyone at Live Art Ireland for letting me have the freedom and space to play and develop my practice” – Mary Whitty.