Week the Sun Touched the Earth
Exhibition Centre Culturel Irlandais 15th-29th April 2022
Study for a volcano’ (2020) Eyjafjallajökull 2010 eruption film through glass prism, 2:20 mins a glass prism embellished with volcanic ash, air particles and 24 karat gold. Filmmaker, Christopher Ash.
The Centre Culturel Irlandais is delighted to present this exhibition of paintings on vellum, lithographs, film projections and objects by artist Siobhán McDonald
Siobhán is fascinated by natural phenomena such as the solar storm Aurora Borealis, and how to give artistic form to intangible scientific processes. Her work presented in the CCI’s Old Library explores ancient and future solar storms in Ireland by bringing together echoes from different fields – quotations, mythology and language from the historic chronicles known as The Irish Annals, as well as dance and empirical cosmic data.
A vital aspect of the creation of this work is the use of the NASA STIX X-ray technology. Through special NASA solar lenses adapted for the limits of this project, Siobhán McDonald explores realms and perceptions of reality, recalling or conjuring a deep past. The work aims to capture the phenomenological act of looking and seeing solar storms which occur on the North and South Poles as a double virtual reflection. The piece contains numerous drawings by Siobhan McDonald and archival material dating from nineteenth-century photography to explore how momentous cycles of solar activity originate inside the Sun.
'Star Seed Wishes' I – II (2022) Is a series of works detailing fragile imprints of seeds collected from the Hill of Tara. Painted with an ink of methane extracted from the Irish bogs to reproduce images of solar eclipses from a 1905 Sonnenfinsternis-Expedition.
For five years, Siobhán has been working with scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) and Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS) to artistically evoke some of the Sun's finest unseen moments, past, present and future. In addition to the artist studying NASA’s archival images of the Sun, a joint ESA and NASA mission launched in 2020 - Solar Orbiter – continually provides the artist with images of hitherto unexplored parts of our Sun.
A moment in time (2022) Glass prism sculpture capturing the photographic transcription of colors as revealed when light passes through an optical glass prism in the old library.
In parallel, Siobhan has searched for the occurrence of sun storms recorded in The Irish Annals that chronicled major events in Ireland up to the 17th century. Frequently linked to major Icelandic eruptions, with profound social impacts, examples of sunstorms include the “seizure of earthquake on the Shannon” in AD1178 (Annals of Boyle) and the “snow of the destruction” that fell in AD1179 (Annals of Ulster). By weaving together stunning imagery with elements of cultural history recorded in these Annals and the graceful movements of late dancer Emma O’Kane, the artist offers a window onto deep time and the awe we feel when faced with the mighty Universe.
‘The week the sun touched the earth’, 2022, HD film, 5 mins is a film work that employs multiple images captured of solar storm eruptions and will frame distant images of a dancer walking across the Sun. Oil painting, with 24 karat gold and film projection. Filmmaker Christopher Ash. In memory of the Magical Emma O’Kane
The film projection incorporates artifacts of Sun-recording instruments (DIAS) and uses special NASA solar lenses adapted for the project to explores realms and perceptions of reality and conjure up a deep past. It also aims to capture the act of looking at solar storms to imagine how ancient Irish people perceived the potency of the Sun as recorded in the Annals c. 600 AD.
‘The week the sun touched the earth’, 2022, HD film, 5 mins is a film work that employs multiple images captured of solar storm eruptions and will frame distant images of a dancer walking across the Sun.
In memory of the Magical Emma O’Kane
Oil painting, with 24 karat gold and film projection. Filmmaker Christopher Ash
A moment in time (2022) Glass prism sculpture capturing the photographic transcription of colours as revealed when light passes through an optical glass prism in the old library.
