Mail Art Responses to Cabin at Road Books

Last October 2020 I sent 14 handwritten postcards to friends back in the UK with an invitation to respond to the 14 films I had made over the 14 days in Garravagh. Co. Cork, Ireland. Thanks again to Judy and Peter at Road Books for been amazing hosts.

And thank you so much to everyone who responded to the films through music, collage, photography, print, poetry, spoken word, textiles and drawing. Today the 14th October 2021 felt like the perfect day to celebrate and share the Mail Art responses.

With Love from Mog x o x

Stones To Lough Fada Part 2

Click image to see Stones to Lough Fada Part 2 (15m56s)

STONES TO LOUGH FADA PART II

My memory takes me back to walking on this wild open landscape in West Cork last October. I imagine walking the same route during this month of May. Frieda had told me about the fierce wind called the Scairbhín (Scaraveen) that blows in from the East during the months of April and May which can cause so much destruction as it passes through. All that hard work on the land can feel futile when a landscape that has taken time to grow and nurture is instantly blackened and broken from this harsh powerful wind. To be here as a visitor and see it all as idyllic and beautiful, it is good to be reminded that to live here requires tenacity, determination and a lot of strength and patience. To have a willingness to deal with such a loss and start all over again is admirable.

Abstracted Soundscape

Here is part 2 of Stones to Lough Fada with the addition of slowed down flute recordings, recordings from the sea at Gortgariff and the voices of eleven participants all layered into a collage of abstracted soundscape.

It was lovely to hear the voices gradually coming together as I layered them into the timeline. Editing the piece was an interesting process in itself. It felt similar to arranging a piece of music but with the parts already written and just finding the right places to tweak the volume to allow certain words to glow at different moments. Either on their own or flowing in and out, finding moments of synchronicity and harmony to a crescendo or clashing of words dissolving into whispers.

Feedback from one of the participants after watching the completed film was so beautifully observed as

"a weaving of time and timelessness, bones brushing against each other’s memories and laying down with the sky.” Mel Shearsmith

THANK YOU

Thank you Frieda Meaney, Nikki Seren, Suzanne Iuppa, Pete Judge, Jan Edwards, Adrian Price, Andrew Price, Sue Mara, Diwas Dewan, Patrick Graham, Mel Shearsmith, Carien van Hest, for your beautiful voices and words.

Thank you Frieda Meaney for placing the stones.

Thank you Frieda Meaney and Hans Leptien for time and space to explore the landscape.

Thank you to all my Patreon supporters with special thanks to Guy Malkerson and Ari Malmberg.

Photography and sound produced by Mog Fry © March 2021

Clair de Lune

It was a real joy to make this film for Andre Shilmon performing Debussy's Clair de Lune.

Perfect timing too as the following weekend I managed to capture reflections of the February Snow Moon in the lake not far from my home. Merged with textures in the landscape of waterfall, river and pond resulting in a dreamscape of light reflections.

Andre Shlimon is a contemporary-classical pianist and composer, and the alter-ego of Paper Fishes frontman Andre Levy.

Andre Shlimon Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/6pYzZYVKEXWby7hgLA99vC

Paper Fishes Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0P5Au1xPkldiHh7PAat9cS

More of my films here https://www.eightfivepress.co.uk/films or here https://vimeo.com/519500335

Have a lovely weekend xx

Cabin At Road Books

Artist In Residence

GARRAVAGH, INNISCARA CORK, IRELAND

October 2020

A MAIL ART PROJECT

In July 2020 I was offered a two week residency at Road Books, Cork, run by Judy Kravis and and Peter Morgan.

A vague idea for a mail art project had been rolling around in a small corner of my brain. I had written a list of friends, artists and musicians that I wanted to connect with while I was away. The list was so long that I realised I wouldn't be able to connect with all of them in the short time that I was there. I knew then that the project was going to organically unfold and I would allow my daily explorations of Garravagh guide the process.

At the end of September 2020, there were still Covid restrictions in the UK and Ireland. The cabin was the perfect place to be. I would be in quarantine for 14 days.

To read more about this project see Cabin At Road Books in the Artist In Residence section.

Elephant in Boa features no-mu residency

Photographs of Omoya by Rina Nakano.

Illustrator Ksenia Kopalova and Evgenia Barinov recently launched their contemporary illustration magazine "Elephant in Boa” (Slon v Boa) focusing on image making in Russia. As part of the magazine they are featuring a section dedicated to the no-mu Artist in Residence in Kameoka, Japan where I spent 6 weeks at the beginning of 2020. See some stunning work by other artists on the residency including Ksenia Kopalova, Elena Aframova, Julie ChOvin and Rina Nakano. Delighted to be a part of this project. Thank you so much Ksenia for inviting me to take part.