Each one started, each one started, each one started is a publication designed to contextualise and expand upon the ideas explored in Christopher Steenson’s artwork The Long Grass (2022–2024).
Taking the form of a 35mm slide projection, The Long Grass takes on a number of perspectives, encompassing issues related to nature conservation, contested land use, (post-)colonial identity, and belonging. The artwork’s subject matter stems from long-term research surrounding the corncrake – a bird that has taken on symbolic meaning in relation to Irish independence. Once prosperous and widespread across Ireland and Britain, the corncrake was known as the sound of the Irish summer, with its distinctive call permeating the countryside’s soundscape. The corncrake is now almost extinct due to the rapid development in mechanised farming over the last fifty years.
The Long Grass draws together various phrases and moments stemming from field research, alongside texts from oral histories of the Troubles in the North of Ireland, interviews with the artist’s family members, and the National Folklore Collection. These sources, which sometimes originate from oppositional points of view, represent a multitude of experiences, ranging from Irish farmers’ feelings towards the EU to second-hand recollections of army patrols during the North of Ireland conflict.
Functioning as a ‘reader’, Each one started, elaborates upon various themes contained within The Long Grass. Through a series of short essays, the work’s various slides are thematically grouped to explore the power struggles between the individual and the state, from both human and more-than-human perspectives.
79 pages (excluding covers).
Hand-numbered edition of 100. Black wiro bound.
Editing: Nathan O’Donnell
Additional editorial support: Caimin Walsh, John Carey
Design: Or Studio
Printing: Plus Print, Dublin
