My practice evolves from the dynamic of everyday life within the confines of its capitalist structure and investigates humanities current modes of being. I consider humanity’s original enclosure, that of the enclosing of the common land and the enclosing of its inhabitants. It sparked the beginning of the industrial revolution with the creation of a new workforce and is the basis of our current capitalist existence. In the history of humanity this is a relatively recent occurrence and only a few hundred years old. We are on the threshold of a new revolution, a new era, a digital era with lots of promise and positives yet it is also a new form of enclosure, a digital enclosure, an enclosure of the intangible commons of the mind.
Some of my past work is a response to the encroaching digital enclosure and our capitalist existence. It is an enquiry into the unseen and intangible nature of our daily digital interactions. Its intention to better appreciate our hybrid future and solicit the viewer’s attention and thoughts towards a collective understanding of our digital encounters and our digital shadow. We are extending ourselves as a species by carrying computers in our pockets that act as second brains, brains that give spectral traces of ourselves to giant tech on a second-by-second basis in the form of direct or residual data as the boundary between digital, body and mind becomes blurred.My preferred manner of expression is mixed media using sound, sculpture and video combined with socially engaged practice.
My interest in biodiversity and the local ecology evolved while completing TUD’s Masters in Art and Environment. Developed in collaboration with Uillinn (The West Cork Arts Centre) & the Sherkin Island development society (SIDs) based at Uillinn Skibbereen and on the West Cork islands. My current research is centred around abandoned post-industrial space and its re-wilding and re-birth. The investigation continues……..
Fiona Hayes Art 