Bernadette Cotter
b. 1958, Ireland
Some years ago I found that I could no longer draw. I did not draw for several years. Then, when I did start to draw, what came out were dots and lists of words or a word repeated. Now when I draw I choose the colour very carefully to convey a mood of emotion. The drawings have increased in size to allow me to become immersed in the repetition of a small unit and to spend more time with each drawing.
I also make large installations with a variety of materials that mean something to me at a particular time. I have shredded mattresses found abandoned on the street; wrapped shopping carts with strips of white bed sheets; smashed empty alcohol bottles found on the street and used them to form a ‘rosary’; collected thousands of buttons and sewn them onto fabric to make a multicoloured cloak. I am currently collecting hankies. I tend to be drawn to things that are abandoned or discarded after a life of use.
(Text: friends + neighbours catalogue, 2000)
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