William Bock spent a year visiting local families and individuals along the north shore of the Shannon Estuary, from Kildysart to Labasheeda as part of the River Residencies. The artist learned about their connections to the river, their histories and thoughts about the future. During his visits, William became interested in the silt that coats the estuary. For the artist, the silt represents the accumulated heritage of the communities reliant on the River Shannon.
With a community cast, William produced the film Rising and a series of photographs responding to our changing relationship with the river over time, and to the environmental changes that will challenge life along its shores. For the River Residencies exhibition at Ormston House, the artist presents a suite of portraits of individuals and family groups as they emerge from the silt, covered in the river mud, returning back to their everyday lives.
William Bock is an interdisciplinary artist exploring the relationships between people and the environments they inhabit. He works with photography, film, sound recording and installation to delve into the experiences of living between cultures, landscapes and identities. Born and raised in West Cork, Ireland the artist studied stage design in Central St Martins and later MA Fine Art at City and Guilds School of Art in London. William is member of the Wilderness Art Collective and a founding member of award winning artist group Dig Collective producing projects internationally. In 2022 the artist was awarded an Artist Bursary from Arts Council Ireland. You can find our more about his work at www.williambock.com
