Emer Cogan

I use linen sheets in my work to represent the Magdalene Laundries. Linen is a material that carries symbolism, it is associated with domestic care and religious ritual. In the context of the laundries it shifts from a fabric of comfort to one marked by forced labour and punishment. This layered symbolism allows the material to speak the hidden histories of the women and girls who passed through those institutions. By draping linen over wood, I work deliberately, folding and fixing the fabric in place with glue and a nail gun to emphasise tenderness and tension. The resulting forms suggest a quiet beauty at first but feelings of calm, purity, and contentment gradually give way to discomfort as the viewer becomes aware of this history.