Spring has sprung from the sodden earth. Daffodils are glowing again. I’ve recently had the glorious opportunity to learn from Natural Dyer Kathryn Davey, with a small group of colleagues from IADT, organised by Fiona Snow and Elaine Sisson. The image below shows swatches of linen, dipped into Marigold and Tea, and modified with wonderful stuff like vinegar, soda ash, iron and alum.

Swatches of linen dyed with marigold and tea, modified with vinegar, soda-ash and more

It’s been a busy year already, and as a way of becoming more accountable and appreciative of my own processes and practices, I thought I’d try a little round up of my writing year so far:

to view the moon is a text written as part of the Douglas Hyde Gallery’s Response Series, in response to Atsushi Kaga’s exhibition Just Another Human Experience. This poetic fiction features some attempts at medieval Japanese poetry in the form of the Tanaka, and also some experiments with Polaroid. It’s all connected. Somehow.

Documenting my writing process for to view the moon, a text based on the otherworldly (yet intensely very-real-world-y) exhibition by Atsushi Kaga at the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Just Another Human Experience.

You can read to view the moon here.

*****

A Pool of Snám Suad – The Bund walkers of all saints

I’ve also seen the culmination of a durational conversation with artist Fiona McDonald, devising ideas with her and writing in response to her work. This process culminated in a new series of poems (a pool of snám suad, more medieval poetry, Irish this time) called The Bund Walkers of All Saints, and a documentary video of a performance on All Saints bog, in Co. Offaly, part of which was repeated in the RHA on the occasion of the opening of Fiona McDonald’s solo exhibition Inhale Exhale: Ecologies that Refuse to Behave. My final response to Fiona McDonald’s body of work was a Somatic Writing Workshop as part of this exhibition, which took place on 28th February, 2026.

Performance of Bund Walkers / Cloud Chambers at RHA as part of the opening of Fiona McDonald’s solo exhibition Inhale Exhale: Ecologies that Refuse to Behave. Sinter Song, one of the pool of snám suad composed for the film, were chanted as part of the performance. Beautiful stuff!

Sinter Song, one of the pool of Snám Suad composed as part of the video Bund Walkers / Cloud Chambers for Inhale Exhale: Ecologies that Refuse to Behave, Fiona McDonalds solo exhibition at the RHA, Dublin. 

A participant keeps the mosses of ‘We Share the Same Air’ company during the Somatic Writing Workshop I facilitated as part of Inhale Exhale: Ecologies that Refuse to Behave, Fiona McDonalds solo exhibition at the RHA, Dublin.

Artist Fiona McDonald spends some time with her work, making notes, during the Somatic Writing Workshop at Inhale Exhale: Ecologies that Refuse to Behave, RHA, Dublin.

Words for Radios, a list poem composed between myself and Fiona McDonald, are displayed via 14 segment alphanumeric radio displays as part of Inhale Exhale: Ecologies that Refuse to Behave, Fiona McDonalds solo exhibition at the RHA, Dublin.

Participants of the Somatic Writing Workshop on February 28^th spend time with Fiona McDonald’s solo exhibition Inhale Exhale: Ecologies that Refuse to Behave at the RHA. 

Notes for the Cento poem, composed with fragments from participants free-writing, generated during the Somatic Writing Workshop in response to Inhale Exhale: Ecologies that Refuse to Behave, Fiona McDonald’s solo exhibition at the RHA, Dublin. 

The finished Cento Sonnet generated through the Somatic Writing Workshop as part of Inhale Exhale: Ecologies that Refuse to Behave, Fiona McDonalds solo exhibition at the RHA, Dublin. The words were consensually transcribed from participants readings of their free-writing and I arranged them into Cento Sonnet. Nice. 

That’s it for January / February… looking forward to what March / April brings —
Thanks for reading, I hope the Spring is kind to you.