orla kenny - work

The exhibition included a floor projection and two lightboxes

The video projection 'Beating A Path Video Loop and audio track takes footage of the walks in Owen sound as its basis. Each section of the footage relates to a different movement and rhythm when walking, capturing the patterns and textures with in this landscape

The lightboxes 'Still Beating' one and two is made up of 12 frames taken from the video fottage, each still captures the texture, pattern and rhythms in movement.

Each Lightbox is (L) 160cm x (H)42cm x (D)20cm

While visiting the exhibition in Cornerbrook, I witnessed children interacting with the piece, trying to catch the light and movement.

Watch the video, Attach:flyingcarpet.mov

Her Flying Carpet, installation shot, Sept 2004

While visiting the exhibition in Sir Wilfred Grenfell College Art Gallery, Corner brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, a group of children visited the gallery. In a silent line they walked around the space, taking in the photographs on show… my work was installed behind a partition, when the children walked around the partition they all ran to over to the light and started to engage with the work, without prompting they proceeded to catch the light, using the projection as a magic carpet flying over the landscape. After the group left, one girl came in with her mother and brother, she walked into the light and knelt down allowing the light and texture wash over her face and hair. She called it her flying carpet.

That moment was a spontaneous realization, outside of what I had planned. Previously, I hadn’t thought past showing the work in a gallery space. What I realized is that the work had a life outside my original intention. This opened a lot of possibilities for future projects. I realized I would like to work more with audience interaction and explore this area in future work. The upcoming show in Toronto is my next chance to develop this aspect of my work.