Jacqui Devenney Reid

Since the 2007 “Edge Centring” project, Artlink have been forging creative connections with arts organisations and artists based in similar remote communities on the edge of the Atlantic, in both Iceland and Norway. 

As part of this initiative, fostering reciprocal inspiration and support, Donegal artist Jacqui Devenney Reed this year visited one of the participating organisations, Skriduklaustur based in East Iceland, as an artist in residence.  Here she was able to pursue her creative quest to “trail the journey of the Monks who left a small isolated pier in west Donegal, to travel in a hide-covered boat to Iceland” and understand more about the cultural connections that have been forged over centuries.

“The Outer Edge” is the result of this journey. The selected works draw inspiration from the raw authenticity of the landscape, evoking the spirit of challenging self-discovery that characterizes the narrative of Gaelic monasticism from centuries past. These images suggest not simply a sense of isolation but also examine the lure of such barren places.

“The Outer Edge”, is just the first iteration of  a larger body of work, which will explore how interacting with such rugged and inhospitable landscapes can strip away the thin veneer of civilization that dominates our self-awareness and sense of centrality in all things, and helps us imagine a more authentic connection to the world we inhabit.

These powerful images capture the sense of “otherness” that is characteristic of both islands, of Iceland and Ireland, and so the images made there chime with the creative culture here, and we find an empathy and connection between our communities on the outer edge of the Atlantic.”