This project is a response to the ISTD brief ‘Anniversaries’.
The River Shannon is Ireland’s longest River. It has a distinctive positioning in the country’s history. Ireland’s lakelands are connected by the Shannon
as it flows through and between eleven counties.
The presence of the Shannon created many anniversaries in the past from the Vikings in 10th Century to Triathlons in recent years. The Shannon is currently creating anniversaries and inevitably will do so in the future. I was particularly interested in focusing on the annual flooding that the Shannon experiences. The most momentous flooding periods work as anniversaries in my typographic piece; 1954, 2009 and 2015.
I was instantly connected to this topic as my life revolves around the Shannon. I live on a farm on the outskirts of Athlone, a town in the heart of Ireland. Our farm experiences annual flooding, resulting in the fields being immersed in water for many months of the year. Not until I started to progress through this project did I realize how the Shannon and its movements impact on my life. On the 22nd of November 2009, it flooded my family home. It’s an anniversary that will stay with me forever.
We are not alone in having a Shannon Anniversary. The river creates many anniversaries throughout the year with its moving ability as it breathes in and breathes out. Its movements have an enormous impact on the surrounding areas and local people. The river’s banks burst as a result of breathing out. As it breathes in the local regions thrive from its presence. This piece depicts this duality, but focuses on the outward breath.
