Resonance
Cherry Dowling and Claire Davenport
Cherry Dowling is an Irish artist who grew up in County Leitrim before moving to Sligo to complete a Fine Art B.A. Hons at IT Sligo.
Claire Davenport is an American artist who moved with her family to Ireland as a child. They both currently live and practice in Sligo.
The two artists applied for a joint show at The Hyde Bridge Gallery after discovering similarities in the themes they explore and shared experiences with public art. Despite the similarity of thought, their processes as well as choice of material vary greatly. This juxtaposition and communication between their respective bodies of work adds a layer of meaning to the work that is greater than the sum of its parts. The theme of ‘Resonance’ refers to feeling something deep within, on a biological level. It evokes the way in which familial bonds and narratives along with childhood memories continue to reverberate through lifetimes and generations. Supporting this focus are the shared interests of both artists in history, human behaviour and instinctual understandings of oneself. Working visually in tandem on a common theme was the way to further their verbal conversations
Cherry carries the idea of resonance through to her making. Repeated reproduction of a set of images through different processes leads to the creation of many incarnations of each one. She uses drawing, both digital and mechanical, painting, printmaking and sculpture to reiterate imagery. This methodical, mechanical method provides a frame for the more fluid emotional processes, allowing her to sound out a story.
Claire expressed the theme of ‘Resonance’ in her work through an exploration of the idea of corruption of sound. She presents framed and polished pieces alongside their “reverberations”, the derivatives of these images in their unvarnished states. The theme also crops up in her selection of materials, from the obviously domestic to repurposed family hand-me-downs and photographs. Each item is a piece of the past repurposed for the present.
