My Weekend: Seaside or forest are both favourite spots of mine

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I’m a visual artist from Canada and have spent the past couple of years in-and-around County Cork.

I feel like I have the best of both worlds — forests and fresh water lakes set against the cliff-side coastlines and the sea.

Though I love how much spark the city has, access to wild spaces is really important to me. Exploring the land is actually a big part of the work I make, and I often weave things like dirt, grasses, wind, and rain into my installations. This usually means I’m working somewhat experimentally, which is intentional — I like being surprised by my process.

Cork seems to be a city that really encourages artistic experimentation. A space like The Guesthouse Project up on Shandon, for example, is an incredible hub of sonic and gastronomical play, among other ways of working.

Then there are collaborations between artist-led groups, like the current exhibition hosted by Sample-Studios and MTU research hub, Drawbridge.

The show, called ‘Drawing Connections’, gave 10 artists the opportunity to push boundaries by exploring an expanded definition of what makes a drawing; my image is made of mud, for example. Our pieces are responses to select work from The Crawford Art Gallery’s permanent collection, so it’s a really interesting intersection between various generations of artists, and institutions. The show’s on until November 3 at The Lord Mayor’s Pavillion in Fitzgeralds Park (Tuesday - Sunday, 11am - 5pm), and I’d encourage everyone to stop by!

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

It’s really hard for me to answer this question because my daily life is quite changeable and I relish not being able to predict one day — or one Friday — from the next!

Lie ins or up with the lark.. which is it for you?

I’m a night owl, so I generally let the larks sing their own song.

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

Absolutely. It’s not usually possible for me to decipher between what is ‘work’ and what isn’t... a lot of it blends together.

If money was no object where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

I would love to wait until winter and chase the northern lights up Iceland/ or Scandinavia-way. I’d bring a combination of family and friends.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

Seaside or forest are both favourite spots of mine. I’m still discovering a lot about the county.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

Yes, I do! My family is a little bit far away at the moment, but we do our best.

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

I think it can be great to make whatever ‘needs’ doing into something that sparks some interest or creativity. I suppose that turns something like cooking into a hobby!

Entertain or be entertained? If it’s the latter do you have a signature dish?

Either works for me. I just cooked a mean Canadian Thanksgiving dinner, so maybe it’s the big celebrations that are my signature at the moment.

We have so many places to eat out in Cork — where are your go to spots for coffee/ lunch/ special meal?

I’ve been living with astoundingly amazing cooks, so I’ve been ruined for going out for meals — for better or worse!

Sunday night comes around too fast.. how do you normally spend it?

In keeping with the impossibility for me to plan a Friday night, the same is true for Sunday. Sunday often feels like other days of the week, which I actually quite enjoy.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

It’s different every Monday!

Anything else you are up to right now...

I always have a number of projects on the go...I try to keep them under wraps until they’re ready!

• For more on Jamie’s work see: jamieashforth.com or on Instagram: jamie_ashforth
• For more on Sample Studios see: https://sample-studios.com/