Notes towards an informal hedge
Walk carefully, well loved one
October 2024
Catalyst Arts, Belfast
A two part text and installation at Catalyst Arts, Belfast as part of the exhibition *-*. Notes towards an informal hedge comprises of a writing of the same name, and Walk carefully, well loved one, a text tucked into the front pocket of a pair of overalls worn during installs at Catalyst.
Notes towards an informal hedge puts forward a speculative structure for institutions - a hinge or double spiral with a shared and moveable centre. The text is the beginning of a proposition to occupy gaps and leaks, withdrawing resources from commodification; re-configuring frameworks that hoard authority; and prioritising the distribution of skills and knowledge as opposed to narratives of growth. The framework echoes my research into informal hedges and the language of planting around informal and formal structures: informal hedges are loose, soft, wayward, reasons and venues.
Walk carefully, well loved one is a text and installation with redactions that thinks about how bodies exist within arts organisations and an old Catalyst contract used across several years in the organisation. The text is reworked from Companion Planting, written for LUMIN Press’ Local 37 project, and is propped on a chair that holds a door open; the hinge in constant suspension.