Julie Cleere

Do they know or do they want to know what lies behind the walls of the institution? I like to
question preconceived ideas which are held in relation to this. My work offers an
opportunity to reflect on what is understood by an institution and what it represents.
Through peeling back the layers slowly and carefully one can develop an understanding of
the different structures which encompass the institution.
Through the use of video, photography, cyanotype and print one can distinguish clear lines
which surround us by the use of layers, colours and projections. The initial charcoal drawing,
photographs, and impressions I make reflect the process of growth and development
through reflection and understanding of events and situations I encounter.
For this particular piece of work I have focused on St Canice’s Psychiatric Hospital, in
Kilkenny. I have looked at how people in the past entered, lived, prayed and died within the
hospital. My intention is to give a voice to those who are gone but not let them be
forgotten.