24/06/2025
The stories we carry become the foundation of our creative practice, and our CEAD students are living proof that creativity flourishes at every stage of life. They've returned to formal education later in life, bringing years of lived experience into their art and design work.
Siobhán Collins' 'Worry Biddys' explores anxiety through domestic ritual and sympathetic magic, combining drawing, sculpture, and sound in a thoughtful installation that reflects the personal perspectives our mature students bring to their work.
𝗦𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗵á𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀
CEAD Higher Diploma in Art
Project: ‘Worry Biddys’
💬¨’Worry Biddys’ combines drawing, sculpture, and sound in an installation that explores anxiety, the comfort of ritual, and sympathetic magic. Set in an illustrated kitchen, a domestic grotto is revealed, offering a place for daily solace.
The wire sculptures began as St. Brigid's crosses, but through the addition of pot scrubbers and plaster, they were transformed into Biddy Dolls. The plaster and wire naturally rust and gradually disintegrate, embodying the process of transformation. By using this method, I hoped to transfer my anxieties to the Biddys through contagious magic. As the sculptures disintegrate, so too will I be transformed- my worries turning to golden dust.
As part of my research into the customs and rituals of St. Brigid, particularly those used to protect against misfortune and illness, I filmed St. Brigid’s Well (Dabhach Bhríde) in Ballysteen, County Clare, a sacred work of art. Additional inspiration came from the works of Alice Maher, Richard Proffitt, and Mick Peters.¨
📷 1. Worry Biddys, installation view.
📷 2. Worry Biddys, taking over my kitchen.
📷 3. Worry Biddys, installation detail.
📷 4. Worry Biddys, sculpture.
📲 See more about Siobhan Collins’ work, and all our graduates this year, by visiting 2025.ncad.works.
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