About Rachel MacManus

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So far Rachel MacManus has created 198 blog entries.

Pre annual festivities, admitting utter despair, and a bit of post festive reflection.

It's been nearly a month since I posted here, and I can defend this lapse through what did happen while I did not post. I moved house, which was the usual relentless never-ending shifting of boxes and bags of stuff. And which took the best part of 3 weeks. Anyway that's the main reason for the not posting and apart from that, Christmas, which normally [...]

2021-01-09T23:58:09+00:00January 9th, 2021|Categories: Uncategorized|

Getting some context on the work made so far

Seeing the work rolled out in a bigger space was a useful experience- as my studio, where its been so far, is like a dark, hoarders delight of a cave with piles of STUFF everybloodywhere. When making the work I was painting a bit of my brown scroll, then due to spatial constraints, rolling it up, then painting another bit, rolling it up and so [...]

2020-12-08T13:56:32+00:00December 8th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

Annie Nolan, Nolans Veg, Finavarra

I drove to Finavarra, near Newquay, this morning to visit Annie Nolan, who runs a farm and a fruit and vegetable shop from the contents of her farm. She was the last person I wanted to visit before christmas, and I was supposed to go yesterday but on account of the heavy rain we cancelled. Today was a bit better, still baltic cold and bursts [...]

2020-12-04T14:54:41+00:00December 4th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

Eggs & Butter- Kay Kelleher, Athlacca, Limerick

I went to visit Kay yesterday in Athlacca, Co Limerick. I had made contact with Kay through my mother-in-law who has proved a useful source of contacts to access women in rural settings. Kay lives in her family farm which is now run by her elder son. They built an extension onto the family farmhouse and Kay lives in this- it has its own entrance [...]

2020-11-27T12:26:17+00:00November 27th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

Whelans quarry site visit

I met Brian, manager of the quarry, and loads of other quarries around Co Clare, this morning at 8am to go into the quarry. It was drizzling and windy, therefore good weather in Co Clare terms. We drove in and first of all, I had no idea it was such a big site. We drove up and wound around all the old buildings and plant [...]

2020-11-20T13:52:28+00:00November 20th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

Eggs & Butter: Nancy Gavin, Lavalla

So I went to visit Nancy Gavin, Lavalla, near Ballynacally, Co Clare. I had no idea where this was but it turned out to be only 15 mins from Ennis. Nancy is in her 70's and has 6 kids, and 14 grandchildren. She has a herd of cows that she looks after and buys and sells. Last year her husband died so she has continued [...]

2020-11-19T17:14:26+00:00November 19th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

Whelan’s Quarry

This is a quarry, now closed 10 years, on the Lahinch road, on way to Lahinch from Ennis. After many phone calls and the cumbersome process of obtaining new public liability insurance, I now am finally able to officially visit the space. I could have gone illicitly, and hopped in over the gate, but I wasn't about to do that as could I have used [...]

2020-11-19T09:09:07+00:00November 19th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

Eggs & Butter- work to date

In terms of the brown paper roll I have made I filmed it as the best way I could manage to view it: https://vimeo.com/476022833 Its still not easy to indicate scale here, I suppose about 20 foot long now? I envisaged it as a possible gallery scenario like this: gallery visual for brown paper roll SO this was the realised piece I made explore how [...]

2020-11-05T21:46:31+00:00November 5th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

Eggs&Butter:Work continues

Vertical Tryptich Carolin- brown banana paper, paint and black marker This was to see what layered media- white paint let travel over and into the scrunched folds of the babana paper. then when that was dry did the black paint layer. then today when once again it was dry I added the black marker. to see how it looked. I like this, but I think [...]

2020-11-04T22:42:53+00:00November 4th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

Aon, dó

https://vimeo.com/474633620 Aon, dó So I made this this morning to submit to https://thisgallery.org/ open call. I'd had the idea over last week, about shouting a poem or a speech into the camera, close enough to become slightly distorted, with the sound turned off. and having spent the week w my kids at home this morning was the first opportunity to try making it. I don't [...]

2020-11-03T09:28:50+00:00November 3rd, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|
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