Mary Kennedy and Seamus Staunton

Draíocht presents a two person exhibition of sculpture by Irish artist Mary Kennedy and British artist Seamus Staunton.

Mary Kennedy and Seamus Staunton’s object sculptures are the result of rigourous manipulation and fabrication of very diverse raw materials. Both Kennedy and Staunton combine a highly accomplished aesthetic with precise skill. These similarities provide a point of intersection from which there work shifts in different directions.

Kennedy’s hanging works are complex, soft forms made from untreated butchers twine. They hang in twists, braids, knots and long fringes and have a religious quality like altars or shrines. Her work is numbered in a series entitled The Quietness of Time and reflects the long periods spent patiently working the twine into the complicated coils and twists that are contained in each piece.

In contrast to Kennedy’s flowing and organic forms Staunton uses traditional shipbuilding techniques to create solid wooden and metal forms which are derived from the Maritime architecture of Bristol’s dockside where his studio is situated. Driven by a strong formal order they reflect ideas of containment and bearing and have titles such as Canal and Vessel. They are faultless and beautifully finished without appearing machine made and have a permanent, rational and scientific sensibility.

This exhibition brings together two examples of sculpture where the physical skill and unique vision of each artist is strongly evident.