Artist Statement
This body of work is concerned with a neglected place in women’s history, glimpsed behind the smiling photographs in scrapbooks of life’s less-celebrated moments.
Aged photographs of an American woman’s 1940’s journey from domestic housewife to professional Navy official, represents the changing lifestyle of a generation of housewives thrown into the demands of war and patriotic duty.
In such extraordinary times the bizarre mixes with the everyday, redefining notions of ‘normal’ in civilian life. Painted illustrations depicting this bizarre mixture creates a sense of unease, as routine innocent actions are tainted by their wartime environment. Gasmasks mix with elderly women knitting, tanks and paratroopers invade common scenes of domesticity, blurring our perceptions of what might be real or imagined.
Collected wartime relics feed the creative drive and textile exploration of the work, where the viewer is encouraged to become the discoverer of these artifacts of previous generations, of lost names and motifs, forgotten lives and lifestyles, unravelling the past.
Original 1940’s dressmaking patterns have informed and inspired a collection of bespoke women’s wear, comprised of utilitarian style garments as vehicles for transcribing digitally printed illustrations, alongside traditional hand embroidery and cross stitching.
Shows and Exhibitions
The RDS National Crafts Competition
Merrion Road, Dublin 4, August 2011
'One Year On' @ New Designers (Part 1)
Islington, London July 2011
'Contemporary Reflections'
Exhibiting Irish contemporay textile designers
The Leitrim Design House, Carrick-on-Shannon
Co.Leitrim, April 2011
Dublin Design Week 2010
'The Spacebar'
Mad Art Gallery, 56 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1
November 4th- 13th 2010
RDS Knit & Stitch Exhibition,
Merrion Road, Ballsbridge Dublin 4,
Oct 28th-31st 2010
RDS Student Art Awards and Exhibition,
Merrion Road, Ballsbridge Dublin 4, August 2010
New Designers Part 1,
Islington, London, July 2010
Graduate Degree Show,
G.M.I.T Chluian Mhuire, Monivea Road, Galway, June 2010
Awards
Awarded The Selvedge 'One Year On' Award for Excellence in Textile Design at New Designers, Islington London July 2011
Future Makers Exhibition Assistance Grant from The Crafts Council of Ireland, April 2011
Shorlisted for the British Design Centre New Designer of the Year Award at New Designers Graduate Showcase 2010, Islington, London.
Galway Stationary Student of the Year Award for Textile Design, G.M.I.T November 2010
Commissions
Commissions Welcome.
Please email serenaoneill@gmail.com for more details.
Qualifications
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
BA HONS Degree in Textile Design
with a First Class Honours
Galway, Ireland
2009-2010
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
BA ORD Degree in Fine Art and Design
Galway, Ireland
2007-2009
Ballyfermot College of Further Education
Higher National Diploma in Fibre Art
Dublin 10
2005-2007
Ballyfermot College of Further Education
FETAC Level 6 Award in Art and Design
Dublin 10
2004-2005
Employment Record
Higher Options
September 2010
RDS Ballsbridge Dublin 4
Crafts Council Of Ireland Stand
Two days working for the Crafts Council of Ireland as a careers guidance advisor promoting careers in Craft and Design to second level students.
Galway Arts Festival 2010
Volunteer
Volunteer work for the Galway Arts Festival 2010 for various venues which included The Black Box, The Druid Theater, The Galway Boat Club, The Radisson Blu Hotel and The Festival Big Top.
Crafts Council of Ireland, 'Showcase' Craft Event
January 2010
RDS, Merrion Road, Dublin 4
One Week Placement: Assisting Dublin based stylist, Niamh O’Rourke, and exhibiting craft items in the trend exhibition area of the show.
Contact Details
Co. Dublin
Ireland
serenaoneill@gmail.comwww.serenaoneill.com