The Lexicon of Wonder Project (2022 - Ongoing)

The Lexicon of Wonder Project:

The Lexicon of Wonder series has arisen from my deep interest in the states of Wonder and Awe. These are epistemological and self-transcendent emotions, evoked when we encounter something beyond our regular comprehension of the world. In response, the states of Wonder and Awe cause us to seek out new knowledge and frameworks for understanding. They also remind us that while we are singular beings, we are also part of something much greater. They are in short the emotions of human discovery.

For this series, I have drawn on the work of Psychologist Dacher Keltner, Environmentalist Rachel Carson and Philosopher Helen De Cruz to deepen my understanding and valuing of these states.

Awe is often inspired when we encounter something vast, either physical or conceptual, but wonder does not necessarily require vastness. For instance we may wonder at both the complex patterns on the wings of a butterfly, or at the distance between stars.

We may find wonder in newness, but we also experience it when we encounter something familiar in a new and unexpected way. This insight is core to the Lexicon of Wonder project, as I have come to regard the arts as a group of wonder technologies. That is technologies with the potential to evoke wonder both through the creation of new experiences and through describing our familiar world in a new way.

This project takes seeds of inspiration from various insights and processes within scientific discovery, as well as aspects of nature and the environment. I use visual art and poetry in tandem, to elaborate on these seeds, creating works that call forth a sense of wonder and (re)discovery at the beauty of our world at large.

The Lexicon of Wonder currently exists as a touring exhibition featuring 30 artworks and poems. The art works are in the form of digital collages produced as limited edition archival pigment prints and a concurrent body of analogue collage originals. A collection of this work is currently being compiled into a publication for print and distribution.

*The Lexicon of Wonder will next show at Áras Inis Gluaire on the 11th of July 2025. ,

On the Shoulders of Giants

Gold threaded curiosity strings Apollo’s great bow,
Straining, ready for launch beyond limits yet known,
Anticipation,
Will it be painful to journey so far and so free,
Courage,
To endeavour forever on boundless black sea,
Countdown,
Fuel tanks like beasts, creak, hiss and moan,
Ignition,
The world is afire, air ripples and groans,
Skyward,
Into the void, leave your old maps to the wind,
Breathless,
Gravities last grasp finally rescinds,
Threshold,
Crossing from Earth, the heart starts to ache,
Orbit,
The planet below, is so alive and awake,
Weightless,
Unbounded wonder has lifted humanity far,
Unknown Skies,
To dream of a home amongst the gods and the stars.

Grandmother of the Forest

Elaborate, knotted, light gatherer,
Ancient solar forest carer,
There is land loneliness and root hunger,
Show me how to search deeply under,
Many limbed, kindness of shade,
Ground sprouted and earth made,
There is land loneliness and root hunger,
Show me how to search deeply under,
Invisible sharer of substance and meaning,
Wind whisperer, Solemn standing,
There is land loneliness and root hunger,
So, show me how search deeply under.