Of Petals, Pearls and Inherited Creatures examines emotional inheritance and female identity through an exploration of familial object histories and the intimate bonds between women in my family. Informed by Galit Atlas's Emotional Inheritance, Annabelle Birsch's A History of Women in 101 Objects, and Lydia Yuknavitch's Letter to My Rage, this work visualises the active nature of inheritance. The work involves site-specific portraiture, archive imagery and embroidery, to reflect on inherited behaviours and emotional legacies from both my maternal and paternal lineage.
'The project includes portraits of myself, my sister, and my mother, photographed in my parents' childhood homes, which serve as sites of 'genetic memory' and trauma. These homes and objects within them act as witnesses to past experiences and transmitters of material memory. Heirlooms like pearls and clothing are seen as multi-generational identity markers, embodying ideals of traditional womanhood. Motifs like roses, curtains and lace are employed to symbolise these ideologies and the shared female experience.' – Dee Byrne
31 pages, 14.8 × 21 cm, softcover, PhotoIreland (Dublin).