Verdigris, 2026, (5m x 3m) nettle dyed sheets, embroidered letters, video projection
This installation examines the colonial history and shifting institutional identities of the Royal Hospital of Kilmainham, which is the present day Irish museum of modern art (IMMA). The piece was made for an exhibition entitled “Anseo” hosted on the grounds of IMMA.
“Queens gone green” is a mixed-media textile and video piece that engages with the complex relationship between a newly liberated Ireland and a collection of inherited colonial British statues which often occupied space in visible locations in the capital city. Many of these statues ended up being housed and ignored on the grounds of the old hospital. This work in specific focuses on the 20ft tall, bronze public statue of Queen Victoria that oxidised and gained a vibrant green patina. Over the span of three weeks “going green” is a humorously toned symbology for Irish independence and equally in regard to environmentalism, explored through the use of harvested nettles to create natural dyes for a textile work.
Archival video material was screened during the installation discussing the fate of the statues. A Brendan Behan ballad, entitled “Ireland’s Struggle”, was quoted within the video and handsewn onto the tapestry. The ballad is humorous, yet the statues inspired violent acts of destruction. Bombing imperial statues was common at the time. The tapestry is hung as close to the 5 metre height as the space allows, but can also function as a dust cover or cloak for statues on the grounds of the museum.
