Students
Guy Dalton / Settlement
Settlement consists of seven plinths with a soil model on top of each one. The plinths are important because they function as a place where the work is to be made but also as a signifier of the importance of what is displayed on their surface. While studying for the MA, I became interested in Whiddy Island, especially how its geomorphology informed the way that the islanders were able to make a living. Farming was productive on the richer soils, while in other areas the poorer soil meant that the inhabitants supplemented farming with what could be gained from fishing in Bantry Bay. The materials overlying the bedrock on Whiddy today were deposited as the glaciers retreated after the last ice age. The material left behind was scoured from the surrounding landscape by the abrasive nature of the glacier as it travelled towards Bantry Bay.
Settlement will be made during the course of the show. Each of Whiddy’s seven townlands will be represented by a sculpture made from soil collected from the corresponding townland on the island. Once the show has finished the soil will be returned to the site where it was originally collected. There will be no artwork left as residue of the labour completed during the show. Although the plinths and the plywood moulds used to shape the soil will bear a trace of the process. The other trace is the memories of those who experienced the project.
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