IRENE ROGAN

"Between Silence and Light"  is the title of a  proposal with two fold purpose  to learn stone carving  for my art practice and to create a series of four carved slate standing stones, each surpassing two meters in height. This endeavour aimed to establish a sense of continuity, referencing the local heritage of the nearby ancient Swinside (or Sunken Kirk) stone circle, the coastal path and engaging the community. The project  linked contemporary art with the presence of ancient stone circles, enhancing their context and significance. the stone circle and these new stones would not only be monumental, they would incorporate a narrative element. The stones were intended to be site specific, carved with imagery and text pertinent to their respective locations. I invited professional stone sculptor Danny Clahane to teach me carving skills, providing tuition for several months both guiding my work and with carving the stones which I designed.

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Between Silence and Light  provided  an opportunity to explore an entirely new medium for me of stone. This work contributed to my practice, integrating  a conceptual element into the process. The work also included a continuing  commitment to bridging  art and science through making water collections and using a microscope to observe diatoms and other  microorganisms. As a result, a series of small carvings emerged, centred around the theme of diatoms, which lend themselves to sculptural  carvings inspired by SEM images from Dr. Tiffany’s diatom collection  art and science exploration rendering the invisible visible.