Gill Byrne

Artist Statement

"Although nature commences with reason and ends in experience, it is necessary for us to do the opposite, that is to commence with experience and from this to proceed to investigate the reason." - Leonardo Da Vinci

As both a human and artist, I am guilty of diving deep into whatever it is that currently fascinates me; and allowing the process to inform the direction and output of the journey. I'm exploring the merging point in the dichotomy of my main working practices - a circus performer and a rigger. My time in Leitrim Sculpture Centre is centred around upskilling and exploring through metalwork and fabrication design and processes; kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.

I’m interested in creating bespoke pieces of work which are structurally capable of being interacted with by performers and public audiences, and beautiful in their own right.

Influences for this project include Leonardo Da Vinci’s technical notebooks, Eugene Finnegan, and LUXE Landscape Theatre.

Artist Bio

Gill Byrne is a multidisciplinary artist based in the West of Ireland. Her work has primarily been rooted in circus/performance arts (dance trapeze, multi hoops, fire) and rigging, and she is currently exploring the intersection of these passions through metalwork and fabrication.

She holds a BA Hons in Drama Performance from DIT, and has worked for companies including Fidget Feet, Twisted Lane Productions, and Broken Theatre as a circus artist. Previous independant work includes “Working Load Limit”, “Tomhais” in collaboration with Sadbh Grehan, with solo acts “Hoopdeboop”, multihoops, and “Like Water” and “Otherworlds”, on dance trapeze. She has undertaken numerous creative residencies including Aras Eanna (“Tomhais”, 2024), ICONS with Firenza Guidi, Art-Illa, and performed in Veszprém City of Culture 2022.

Her creative work is rooted in movement, connection to nature and landscapes, systems of energy transfer and load lifting.