A Civilised Frog a Shirt Will Make
Project Type
Exhibition: Collective of NCAD students held at the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Dublin, 2011.
Materials
Stitch, embroidery, appliqué, painting, drawing.
Date Completed
Winter 2011
In 2011, my class at NCAD, was tasked with curating and hosting a group exhibition inspired by the prompt: The Shirt. The exhibition was hosted at the iconic Powerscourt Townhouse in Dublin city centre, in the high ceilinged atrium on the top floor. My response to the prompt which informed the direction of my piece for the exhibition was:
A Civilised Frog A Shirt Will Make
I had been enamoured with frogs since travelling to India and seeing the beautiful tree frogs there. I had a rich visual library of frogs and wanted to bring a sense of storytelling to the piece. The final piece was a richly textured, embroidered wall hanging – depicting the frog in his newly made linen, alongside the natural elements which inspired his new attire. Decorative artichokes and thistles sit alongside the frog, on a deep aubergine background.
The Poem Accompanying the Piece
Frog was borne upon a ship,
Toward a horrid, industrial tip.
Hurried from his jungle home,
Swept away, all alone.
Stranded now in devilled land,
Forced to play this ill-dealt hand.
Frog donned a shirt of thistles and thorns.
To scare away the devil’s horns.
A gentleman now, for his linen was rare,
Frog lived his new life without much care.
A civilised man a shirt will make,
Or even a frog in this strange case.