Sinéad Bhreathnach Cashell, Jayne Cherry and Alice Clarke

Practised Hands | Alice Clark and Jayne Cherry at Conway Mill, the Drying Room

About the artists

Over forty years since production ended in Conway Mill, the Drying Room were animated with automatic drawing machines, live performers and archive film. Artists Alice Clark and Jayne Cherry improvised a mesmerising performance in harmony with scenes of the linen industry from the Digital Film Archive. The past and present overlapped as the gestures of current linen workers echoed those from decades before.

Jayne Cherry is an artist living and working in the countryside of Co.Down. She makes art to try to comprehend her personal experiences and emotional wanderings. Using intricate investigations with drawing, painting, needlework, sound, installation and live art performances she attempts to decipher any covert signs and leave clues that may be helpful to those who come behind her.

Alice Clark’s background is in weaving but after graduating from Ulster University with an MA in Fine Art in 2011 she has worked in a variety of media including drawing, making, installation, and performance. All relate in a broad sense to landscape and the environment. Her practice explores ways of relating to and interacting with natural and often live objects such as trees, plants and seeds.

Sinéad Bhreathnach Cashell is the curator for Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive, a free public access resource for teachers, students, historians and anyone who has an interest in moving images. Spanning from 1897 to the present day, the films in the Digital Film Archive cover aspects of life in Northern Ireland from dramas to documentaries, newsreels and features, animation to amateur footage.

This live cinema event was a partnership project by Northern Ireland Screen, Film Hub NI and Pollen Studio. It was curated by Sinéad Bhreathnach Cashell, filmed by Simon Mills and funded by BFI Film Audience Network supported by the National Lottery. Made possible thanks to additional support from Belfast Film Festival, Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen, the GT Gallery and the Flax Visitor Centre.