Bernadette Ryan
Memory, concentration, and nature are deeply intertwined in my work, exploring how they shape our perception of the world around us. Memory is an ever-changing influence that filters and therefore shapes our experience of the natural world. My art captures fleeting moments, inviting the viewer to engage in the act of remembering and reflecting. Concentration is the thread that ties these moments together—focused attention allows us to notice the subtle, often overlooked details of nature, such as the texture of bark, the intricacies of the grain in a severed tree trunk. In my work I aim to use nature as both subject and medium. I have chosen used teabags as a creatively appropriate medium. Each teabag holds a “memory” of the natural plant.
I have attempted to work with used teabags - a natural and ever-present material - as a medium to provoke reflection on the ephemeral nature of both memory and the environment. By re-creating discarded sections of severed trees, my objective is to remind us to always be mindful of our environment and our destructive impact on it.
This thesis explores the unique power of Performance Art to challenge and transform societal attitudes towards women in Ireland. Focusing on the works of Pauline Cummins, Mairead Delaney, Amanda Coogan and Helena Walsh, it examines how these artists have confronted the patriarchal controls that have oppressed women in Ireland and how their performances have contributed to ongoing cultural progress.
The Ireland of the newly formed independent Republic (1949) had reinforced itself with a deepening of the conservative values of the time with Church and State. Through the study of significant performances such as Cummins’ mural in the National Maternity Hospital and Delaney’s work on symphysiotomy, the persistent control and mistreatment of women in medical and social contexts is highlighted. Coogan’s performance addressing the Magdalene Laundries and the Wren’s and Walsh’s activism against the 8th Amendment illustrate the continuing battle for women’s autonomy. By examining these powerful performances, this thesis highlights the significant impact of performance art in challenging pervading views of women’s place in Irish society.
It concludes that while progress has been made, this is social history, and the need for activism will continue as long as society continues to evolve.
Bernadette is a visual artist based in Dublin. She works through the mediums of print, paint, drawing and sculpture. Her professional life in the health service has accentuated the essential role of concentration and attention to true experience, memory and learning. She takes her inspiration from the natural environment; the individuality of trees, their bark texture, and their changing through the seasons.
Bernadette has exhibited in Mud between the Toes, Pallas Project Studios, (2025), How I See, DIVA Gallery, (2023), Boyle Art Festival (2023), The Place Project, IMMA, (2022).
