Memories in the material: an interview with Patricia McKenna
Journal Article
Overview
abstract
In interview, the Irish sculptor Patricia McKenna discusses her work and career. She explains that her move from painting to installation was prompted by the work of Giotto and by a desire to move from flat surfaces to three dimensions. She explains how this move began to be realized in her work Drumbar (1991), part of the series Marking the Land, which also included Swanlinbar, The Grey House (1993-94; illus.), and Soil (1997; illus.). She lists Joseph Beuys, Christian Boltanski, Robert Smithson, Richard Long, and Cy Twombly as influences and considers how her work deals with absence, memory, migration, land, and history.