Limerick, Ireland
Elizabeth Byrne, The Insistence of Furniture, embroidery, sound installation, dimensions variable

Elizabeth Byrne

b. 1966, Ireland

This body of work takes as its theme three separate monologues:

  1. The Gifts – An extract from the diary of Brigid Waters (diary dating from 1917 to 1966, containing a non-chronological listing of births, deaths, marriages, groceries and wedding presents)
  2. The Cage – An extract from a ‘Prison Infirmary’, Night Matron’s report (chronicling the treatment of John, an inmate, during a restless night)
  3. The Legacy – An extract from the novel Madame Bovary by Flaubert (pertaining to Emma Bovary’s desire for better quality upholstery fabric)

These three narratives are intertwined through a common thread of furniture – Brigid Water’s wedding presents, John’s uncomfortable bed and Emma Bovary’s new chairs.

(Text: EV+A 1998 – Circus ZZ)

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