Audrey O’Brien
I am a socially-engaged artist working across photography, collage and sculpture. I connect people, objects and spaces. I focus on the senses as an inquiry-based tool to explore everyday experiences and landscapes. It is a human right to take part in cultural life.
My interest in Woven in Renfrewshire stems from its capacity to provide opportunities to people in society who may not seek out creativity due to the impact of their caring roles.
Heirloom Flora
My work is focussed on the healing power of sphagnum moss, used by carers for centuries. I began by researching the historical and cultural significance of sphagnum moss, including its use in wound care and preservation. To demonstrate this, I handcrafted small dressings referred to as ‘moss comforts’, which carers were able to handle and explore in workshops. I also created a space to explore the symbolic capacity of moss to store wisdom, alongside its physical capacity to increase biodiversity.
During my research, stories about the moss revealed themselves to me, further demonstrating how this incredible organic material is itself a natural archive. These stories included me falling into a moss bog (which inspired the project), a moss-gathering grandmother, and discovering that The Glasgow School of Art was a sphagnum moss depot during the Great War.
For Woven in Renfrewshire, I interviewed carers and introduced these ‘moss comforts’ to groups in the Disability Resource Centre and Kairos Women+ Creative Café. During an interactive workshop in the Atrium Gallery at the RAH, audience members were invited to create their own ‘moss comforts,’ and soak their hands in a moss bath as part of the experience. This work celebrates the role of carers and nature in health management – rediscovering the power of moss to heal us, and the planet.
Audrey O’Brien “Heirloom Flora”, stills from workshops with carers. Historical image of sphagnum moss dressing being made during WW1 [Courtesy Historic England Archive]
Audrey O’Brien, stills from workshops with carers creating “most comforts”
For more Woven in Renfrewshire, have a look at the online exhibition and the work of the other commissioned artists – t s Beall, Karen Herbison, Kayleigh Sarah McGuinness and Audrey O’Brien.