The written word, arranged in the form of prose or poetry, is employed to create mental images of fact or fantasy. In this exhibition, Susan Bresnihan arranges photographs of walks she has taken along the northwest coast of Ireland, in the manner of paragraphs or poems to evoke ideas of the metaphysical.
As she walks, the artist takes pictures every few steps along the way, effectively recording time and place. The resulting photographs are then collated and mounted on colour coated aluminium, some in rows to be read from upper left to lower right, others stacked in vertical alignment, like lines of a verse.
The larger exhibits that read like essays take viewers into different landscapes then set them free to find their own narrative. For example Cliff Edge takes us on a pictorial walk that teeters along the edge of earth, sea and sky via 440 small images arranged in lines, like words on a page. As we scan the collection of still photographs, we become aware of atmospheric nuances that might not have been noted during the effort of walking, or if our viewing is controlled by others as in a filmic presentations. Also appreciated are the 340 pictures that make up What you leave behind. Here we follow footprints in the sand as they tread along a beach, in sun light and cloud shadow, then into seafoam that washes away all evidence of anyone having been there. My particular favourite exhibit in the 'essay' format is Meditation, a collection of 36 postcard sized photographs arranged in six rows of six images to reveal a sojourn from dune to water's edge. This composition is unique in that it does place words on some images to form a statement that reminds us how often we let life can get in the way of living.
The vertical works can be read up or down. Three are totems that seamlessly join photographs, and their mirror images, to effect ancient pagan pillars. Named for Grass, Stone and Flora, they evoke references to death and regeneration in nature. A very different vertical composition of tiled images is Ascent, which seems to take the soul upward from the dark loamy surface of Earth to the bright ethereal light of the Heavens. Or back down again if that's the way you choose to go! And again, the abundance of nature is beautifully suggested in Only Natural as this Rorschach Test image reveals, to my eye at least, a bejewelled Mother Goddess amid the foliage.
Bresnihan's photographic compositions not only tell a tale, they help us navigate the landscape of the mind. All provide excellent viewing and intriguing reading. By recording her physical journey in this manner, the artist provides a metaphysical journey for viewers, if they are prepared to take the first step.