Close encounters of the farming kind in Carlow

FIRST off, an admission – I can’t draw or paint, and have never created anything of merit in terms of art.

When I was in college, a zoology demonstrator asked of a sketch of mine, “what is that?”

I replied, “a dogfish”. Looking at the creature lying dissected in front of me then back at my sketch, he said, pointedly, “that’s not a dogfish.” I replied, equally pointedly, “well, it’s my version of a dogfish.” I didn’t pursue zoology. I also don’t ‘get’ much of modern art – the circles, lines, blobs and daubs that look like circles, lines, blobs and daubs.

But I am curious about art and thus jumped at the chance to join a visit by the South East Women in Farming Ireland (SEWFI) to the Visual arts venue in Carlow, which is running an exhibition entitled Encountering The Land.

A mix of painting, photos, film and performance, it explores wide-ranging themes, including the change in farming and the challenges facing it, the rural as a sanctuary and as inspiration.

I was especially interested to see how artists from within farming (many of the exhibitors are farmers’ daughters) perceive what goes on in the sector.

One such exhibitor (who was on hand to talk about her work) was local Katie Watchorn. Katie’s exhibit is called balehomebalehome,

after the words used by her father to call in the cows every day for milking.

The exhibit includes a slab that replicates the floor of a herringbone milking parlour. But, instead of concrete, the material used was largely made up of animal fat. For whatever reason, I found it powerful.

Another piece I really enjoyed was James Dixon’s drawing, Mary driving the cattle home, the tide came in too soon and the poor girl got drowned.

Born on Donegal’s Tory Island in 1887, Dixon spent most of his life on the island as a fisherman and farmer, recording daily events and familiar scenes in a style that is variously described as simple or primitive.

No offence, but it’s the kind of thing that any farmer could create. Though I guess this just proves Sarah’s point, that a key element in determining significance is originality.

An overall prize, the Hotron ARTWORKS Award, was presented to Maria McKinney for her film,

Double Muscle.

It consists of 11 minutes of a Belgian Blue bull standing in a breeding barn at Dovea AI station being shown from various angles.

On the one hand, it shows respect for farm animals and those who care for them. However, it seems to me there is also an inherent criticism of the genetic selection which created these animals, in which bulky bodies are borne by relatively slender legs.

They come across as both magnificent and monstrous.

I was particularly interested in this as we have long used Belgian Blues as a terminal sire. It seems to me that there was a question being raised as to whether agriculture should revert to using more traditional breeds and methods.

As it happened, the following day, an organic beef farmer friend told me of their devastation that they have recently had to sell their stores into the conventional market because of lack of demand for them from organic finishers.

It’s the same argument that crops up again and again, as to why more Irish farmers don’t grow vegetables. The simple reality is that farmers will farm to their unique set of circumstances and their personal combination of priorities – economic, practical and ethical – what works for them or, at least, what they believe/hope will work.

Still, at least the exhibition got us thinking and talking, which is what art should do.

Encountering The Land

runs to September 2. Admission is free.

I DON’T ‘GET’ MODERN ART BUT I AM CURIOUS ABOUT IT