Shining a light on domestic violence through her artwork

THE Echo’s food columnist, Di Curtin, who lives in West Cork, has evolved into working as an artist, while still writing about and researching food.

The Sheffield-born chef, food stylist and food writer, now based in Union Hall, previously worked with Fortnum & Mason, a famous London department store, renowned for its gourmet food and hampers.

Speaking about her ventures into the art world, Di says: “I’ve always been quite creative. I needed to do something creative.”

Working with food satisfied that aspect of Di which included ‘styling’ food for magazine photo shoots including Hello!

In recent years, Di decided to study art and now has a body of work that is distinctive and deals with the difficult subject of domestic abuse.

Recently, she presented her artistic work at the Crane Lane as part of the National Sculpture Factory (NSF) Graduate Presentation Night.

Her work combines the mediums of sculptural form, with moving image and spoken word sound presented in a contextual sculptural environment.

“About four years ago, I was going through a quiet period on the food writing side. I had a lot of time on my hands. I ended up doing the BAVA (BA Visual Art) on Sherkin Island (which is affiliated with the Technical University Dublin).”

Di, who started the course in 2018, says it was a four-year period of “really focusing on art, the history of art, from the Old Masters right up to contemporary conceptual art which is what I do.”

The degree earned Di a residency at the National Sculpture Factor (NSF). She is grateful to David O’Brien (Dobz) from the NSF who chose her, among others. And she appreciates the support given to her by the NSF technical manager, Dominic Fee.

“I’m the inaugural awardee from the Sherkin Island degree. I started the residency in January and have finished it. I’m going down to Sherkin to finish my new piece of work. It has been an amazing opportunity, working with the artists down there.”

At the recent presentation night, Di showed slides of work from her degree show and spoke about her process, as well as talking about what she has been doing as part of the NSF residency.

The first two years of the BA Visual Art focused on the basics of drawing and painting and capturing imagery.

“In the third and fourth year, I was working to my own brief,” says Di.

“In third year, the theme was social engagement practice that involves collaborating with other people, other artists or maybe a community group.

“We were in the middle of Covid so we worked online.”

At the time, Di was conscious of a lot of media coverage of domestic abuse with figures rising globally because of people being confined to home during the pandemic.

“I didn’t have personal experience of it, but knowing people who’ve been in abusive relationships, it really caught my attention. I contacted the West Cork Women against Violence project in Bantry.”

Di came up with a sculptural project called ‘Walk a Mile in her Shoes’.

“It was a socially-engaged sculptural walk. People who’d had experience of abusive relationships and had come out the other side donated shoes.”

Based on the shoes, Di made four sculptural works using beeswax, which has ancient connections to healing and embalming.

“Towards the end of May, 2021, when some Covid restrictions were lifting, a group of us did a reflective walk. It gave people space to look at the work,” says Di.

“The shoes were placed along the mile of the route, starting in Union Hall where I live. It was supported by the West Cork Women against Violence project, the local Tidy Towns and the committee for the community in Union Hall.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better crew to embrace the project because it’s a difficult subject.”

Some women who had been abused took part. Their anonymity was respected. About 20 people took part in the walk, including three or four men.

“If people needed to talk, there were representatives of West Cork Women against Violence,” says Di.

“We left the sculptural work out over the weekend so people could do the walk on their own if they wanted to. As well as the sculptural shoes, there were information leaflets. A lot of people did the walk on their own.”

Di also had to make work for her degree show. Again, she received donations – this time, items of clothing and a diary – from women who had experienced domestic abuse.

“I embedded them all in beeswax. It was almost like an embalming of the experience. It was called Modes of Escape. I was showing a video work in a car.”

Cars are often “weaponised” in abuse cases, says Di.

“The car can be withheld so you can’t get out and travel somewhere. Or money for fuel can be denied, or you could be terrorised by someone driving very fast and dangerously. The idea of using the car to show the video work is because you have to get into the car and you’re enclosed once you do that. There can be that feeling of being trapped.”

As for the content of the video, it’s an experimental film about domestic space with dolls’ houses in it and a soundtrack that is based around the language of court documentation.

“I made the video using domestic recording equipment; a mobile phone, a video camera and a Super 8 camera. That’s the way we capture memories at home.”

Di is currently working on a contextual sculpture that holds a video work.

“The subject matter is a car journey. Again, it’s capturing how a car can be weaponised.”

Once she completes this work, she will be checking out places to show her art.

“I’ll keep on making work. It’s really worthwhile. I’m hooked! The degree has been an amazing journey with fantastic lecturers such as Jesse Jones, Glen Loughran and Majella O’Neill-Collins.”

SUPPORT NUMBERS

Sexual Violence Centre Cork: Freephone the centre on 1800 496 496. www.sexualviolence.ie

West Cork Women Against Violence Project operate a free - phone helpline 1800 203 136. Their office line 027 53847. For more, see westcorkwomensproject.ie

Mná Feasa run a helpline, 021 4211757, staffed by trained volunteers Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. For more information see www.mnafeasa.com.

Women’s Aid operate the 24hr National Freephone Helpline 1800 341 900. See www.womensaid.ie