Installations by Isabel Knowland

The installations are all responses to political events or societal issues.

A Cast of Mind

A Cast of Mind is a response to the Troubles in Ireland where I grew up. It is based on flags which depict words that have been graffitied on the wall that divides Belfast. Walls are a physical manifestation of a mindset that is beautifully described in Gregory Warren Wilson’s poem ‘Inference’ (see Artist Books). A Cast of Mind is a reminder of the fragility of peace, particularly in that part of the world.

The flags are acrylic sheets etched with drypoint, attached to plastic poles which are inserted in to bricks. A film of the waving flags was projected from opposite sides of an enclosed space on to a central screen indicating that walls and divisions do not exist except in our minds. The music was composed and performed by me.

Requiem

Requiem was the result of research in to the camp orchestras at Auschwitz, inspired by the cellist Anita Lasker. This is a film of the installation in which 100 violin bow hair shanks are suspended in five neat rows within an enclosed space.

The five rows echo the stave and also the Nazi obsession with order. The enclosed space represents a gas chamber. Each shank consists of roughly 100 hairs, each hair representing 100 people. Thus the entire installation is an attempt to convey the enormity of the genocide.

The music, based on an Armenian folk tune, was written by Arne Richards; and I play the violin in the recording.

Tower of Hope

This installation was inspired by the Grenfell Tower fire. After such a shocking tragedy I wanted to create a tower that could symbolise hope. The Tower was erected in the church where the residents of Grenfell met and prayed together, and which became a centre of support for victims and their families. People were invited to add their hopes to the framework of the Tower. The collection of hopes are a poignant reminder of the suffering and the determination of the many people whose lives were impacted.

The Tower can be displayed again in other situations with different ‘hopes’. Please contact me.

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The Great Wall

This was a response to President Trump’s avowal to build a wall in order to keep Mexicans out of the USA. The dolls, with their heavy black eyebrows, reference the Mexican artist Freida Kalo.

Homeless

This installation draws attention to the many rough sleepers and homeless who die on our streets every year. The upturned arms of the crosses reference Michelangelo’s Universal Man.

Waving Hello

This installation was the culmination of a major community project in Oxford encompassing refugee groups, asylum seekers, schools, elderly groups and many more. The theme was immigration. My idea was for these groups to make hundreds of tiny paper boats representing the thousands of people who have fled persecution, war and poverty to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, where so many of them lost their lives. The boats were displayed in Bonn Square in Oxford where the general public were also encouraged to join in and add to the installation. Photos by Judie Waldmann.

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