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I am currently developing a body of video and photographic work looking at acts of faith, be they religious or otherwise. My interest in the social world, and belief systems in particular, stems from my pre-fine art, academic background in social science. I suspect, however, that the strongest influences on my work go much further back. At 5… My mother, who is half-Irish and who was brought up in Liverpool, told me that when you look in the mirror, you sometimes see the devil. For a child of five to be confronted with even the possibility of such an apparition is understandably terrifying. |
 shelagh fenner, video still,2006sm.jpg) |
Shelagh Fenner
 shelagh fenner, video still,2006.jpg "Image")
I am currently developing a body of video and photographic work looking at acts of faith, be they religious or otherwise. My interest in the social world, and belief systems in particular, stems from my pre-fine art, academic background in social science. I suspect, however, that the strongest influences on my work go much further back.
At 5…
My mother, who is half-Irish and who was brought up in Liverpool, told me that when you look in the mirror, you sometimes see the devil. For a child of five to be confronted with even the possibility of such an apparition is understandably terrifying. This was the kind of atmosphere I grew up in? Infused with folklore firmly rooted in a curious brand of Irish/Scouse Catholicism, driven as much by fear as by piety. From early childhood, until about the age of 10, the only book I saw in our home was a large Bible. I loved this book for the illustrations, which were fine prints of early and Renaissance religious art. These included such artists as Caravaggio, Giotto, de la Tour, Ribera and Mantegna. Georges de la Tour and Caravaggio’s typically high contrast, intense colours and dark backgrounds have obvious cinematographic connotations.
Super 8….
My father, with his Super 8 camera, would capture family holidays and the like for our modest posterity. For me, the best part of this was seeing the unplanned anomalies appear on screen. Figures would jump about the frame or suddenly disappear, and better still, be replaced by complete strangers. A particular favourite of mine was when the projector would jam and the heat from its bulb would burn a hole in the film, much to my father’s despair. I have no doubt that having this early exposure to the possibility of making film made it easier for me to try out the medium as a way of expressing my ideas.
It was also around this time that I discovered my local art gallery, The Atkinson. We lived close to the town and this meant I was allowed to go off by myself at weekends. I remember playing in a large installation (though I do not know the artist or what it was about). I imagined I was in a totally different world hidden in the neon-coloured, plastic walls, transparent tunnels and ultra-violet light. These were pre-CCTV days and, without the gallery staff around, you could get away with it!
Through my work, I try to look beyond the mediocrity of everyday life. No matter how mundane our lives may appear on the surface, we each inhabit our own unique universe, and it is this intensely private and deep space that holds much interest for me. In moments of pure faith, we offer ourselves the possibility of some personal freedom, which can transport us beyond others’ judgement and the constraints of the mediocre. Through my work, I aim to communicate such moments.
