Mia Pearlman

When I first saw Mia Peralman's installation, I thought they were fantastic. They were delicate, moving, letting light through and making shadows. Their appearance changed, depending on the light direction. I thought this would be a very suitable medium for water.  

I wanted to hang my paper river from a height with one source of light but no suitable space was available. So I made it in the studio, on a frame. 

I wasn't happy about the frame being visible - it was too straight and rigid  - until a friend pointed out it was just like the concrete buildings of the city against the flowing river! I still don't like it but I feel better about it being there.

People in the art

I really admire Kapoor's huge, stainless steel sculptures. The reflect everything, so are constantly changing, though staying the same. The people who are looking at the work, are themselves part of the art.

I would love to have made a giant salmon like this, reflecting those who looked at it.

My effort was a 'history box' covered with newspapers, lthe bottom lned with CDs and a salmon floating around inside. When somebody looked in they saw their reflection as part of the box

The reflection looked much better in reality than in the photo!

Closing In

Cities always need more and more space-space is at a premium. But the river keeps some natural areas for people to enjoy.

Natures Children

The river is the natural side of the urban environment. There is a wildness there that we can't control. We need places like the river to remind us, in the midst of all the concrete and cement that there is a natural world there and we are part of it, just as much as our ancestors were. In our modern world it is easy to forget this.

shades of water

This is an image of many photographs done in felt. I was very excited about it asI had missed the felting workshops never done felting before. I couldn'nt wait unroll the bubblewrap and see the end product.

I am working on a salmon. I took photos and did some drawings. I found the back bone fascinating. I did some drawings and drew a negative white bone in black background. The bone reminded me of DNA strands.(The identity of Limerick is tied up with the Shannon)

paper-cut fish with woven tail

1. straws 2. cut paper  3. woven 

Swimming back bone

The shannon

I focused on the river for my project. The energy of the river near the rapids was amazing. It reminded of River dance of music.The motion of the water was mesmorising -timeless. The difference between the dark and light was amazing. The light part was what I could see but underneath ther was so much dark hiding loads of stuff, remembering. This morning I went to the limerick City museum to see what they found in the river when they dredged it. there were axe heads going bact to the Stone Age, swords spears and a a veriety of things from Viking times. I wonder in years to come will people be fishing out shopping trolleys and other stuff and will it be in some museum somewhere! The river is a lot like my mind - I deal with the stuff that is hit by the light but there is so much more there, hidden.
The river has always been there. Indeed limerick wouldn't be there but for the Shannon. It stores our memories, our history. The salmon stores this information.
Limerick gets its identity from the river - Finger prints, DNA. Indeed fingerprints look like a river! DNA images will be worth investigating. Also the symbol for the right hand in music is not a thousand miles away for fingerprints.