Eira is interested in the lived experience as a piece of art – and has found that during a project there are many opportunities to build relationships / have conversations and ask people for help. It is these relationships and connections that Eira deems more valuable than any piece of work, and the work is a document of those relationships.
The Firepit
It came from the desire to experiment with metal, and was inspired by my family culture and the times we spend camping. I welded drawings around the inside of the bowl to be lit up by the flames. The drawings are imagery from songs me and my family sing every year sheltering from the rain on the coastline in Wales.
The Surfboard
It was collaborative, not with any specific artist- but with whoever was around. The complexity of the object and the sheer size of the thing meant I had to ask for a lot of help. In my final degree show, I asked people to decorate the board. The art is the asking- I didn’t personally draw anything on the surfboard, but the public, my friends and family did. They became a part of something that I care about, and helped to make it something wonderful.
With both the Firepit and the Surfboard- the process of making created a opportunities to learn about new materials and processes. And the finished objects will become useful and create more positive experiences in my life and my friends lives – and it is these experiences that are the real works of art.
I am a random collection of impulses. I draw with my whole body. The process is similar to dancing, moving my hand in a repetitive motion just for the pleasure of making the mark. Unlike dancing, there is something tangible that remains at the end.