Four artists, two weeks and the Wild Atlantic Way: Photos from an art installation in the great outdoors

Art fans headed to Lough Hyne in West Cork last month.

IRELAND’S ROLLING GREEN hills, crashing waves, dense woodland, and interesting ruins have inspired many works of art.

But rather than hang paintings in a gallery or print them in a book, Kari Cahill and Hazel McCague wanted to create art “that would only exist in nature”.

Lay of the Land is an ongoing project encouraging artists to create responsive outdoor installations. Their most recent residence was based at Knockomagh Woods in West Cork, on the shores of Lough Hyne.

Speaking to The Journal.ie, Cahill shared how Lay Of The Land was originally conceived.

“Our early conversations definitely focussed on our desires to explore Ireland and its wild beauty,” Cahill says, “but to do so in a more in-depth way.”

Cahill and McCague had “really strong ideas” about what they wanted from the project.

I’m not sure it even had a name by then, but these ideas were simple: to come to a specific site, explore the landscape, investigate the history and heritage of the area, engage with the community, and create something that directly responded to our experience of that place.

Last month, art fans from all over the country headed to West Cork to spend two days on a nature walk with a difference: a tour of Silva, a multi-part installation set in the woodland, conceived by Cahill, McCague and two other artists.

Here are some images from the prep period beforehand, and the weekend itself – and watch out for more projects from Lay Of The Land “this side of Christmas,” says Cahill.