Rectangle Squared

‘Rectangle, Squared’ features large-scale paintings; punctuated by smaller props-cum-sculptures; cut-out characters; and the surreal story of their fabrication. It explores the illusory world in which an artist is presented with an opportunity to make something important. The artist's monologue is articulated in many voices, that conjure the materiality of an imaginary space, in which sound and language slip between registers, moving the listener through the installation. In it - theatrical, cultural and art historical tropes are obscured in the roots of trees, friendship and fireworks. The artist's journey is shaped by absurd procedural impositions and her surreal attempts to escape them - whilst confronting, in equal measure, the adversities and hopes of everyday survival and a shared longing to be understood. The accompanying publication has been supported by The UCD Artist in Residence Program, the Arts Council and DLRCoCo. The audio work and live performances were recorded during the inaugural NCAD Incubation Residency, awarded to Sonia Shiel in 2017, with the voices of Laura Cummins; Sara French; Daniel McNamara; Tzarini Meyler and Shelly Harder. Rectangle Squared is written and narrated by Sonia Shiel. Installation shots: The Crawford Gallery, Cork, and NCAD Gallery, Dublin, Ireland, 2017.