Custom House Studios Westport Quay with Westport Arts Festival 2011 is hosting two new exhibitions, Glass Flowers by Emma Bourke which runs until October 23, and The Past is Another Country by Jackie Nickerson which runs until October 16.
Emma Bourke is a visual artist working mainly in the medium of glass. She graduated with honours from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin where she studied the techniques of glassblowing and hot sculpting. Self-taught in the technique of flameworking, she was able to translate these previously acquired skills to create work on the torch. Through extensive research and through trial and error she taught herself how to create intricate flameworked flowers such as snowdrops and daisies. Adding a little colour to some petals allows each piece to become characteristically unique like the environment which inspires its conception.
The Past Is Another Country continues Nickerson’s investigation into the nature of identity and this series explores how global homogenisation has affected indigenous and local culture. Her work is driven by a passionate interest in people and their environments. She has spent the last 10 years travelling all over the globe and the photographs from this exceptional series were made in Oman, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, Japan, Ireland, France, China and the USA.
