Peat, Storm, Connemara, Ireland

Barry Andersen, artist

Peat, Storm, Connemara, Ireland, 2004

Where object was made: Ireland

Material/technique: inkjet print; Epson UltraChrome K3™ inks

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 25.5 x 35.7 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 10 1/16 x 14 1/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 31 x 41.5 cm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 12 3/16 x 16 5/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 16 x 20 in

Credit line: Gift of the artist

Accession number: 2014.0028

Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Collection Cards: STEM

This photograph shows the process of stacking and drying peat in Ireland. Peat is decaying vegetable material that has a soil-like texture. Located in moist, swampy areas, it can be taken out of the ground and dried. Dried peat is burned to create electricity. Peat can also be used in farming. Adding peat helps soil hold water longer. People continue to argue about whether it is better to use peat for fuel or agriculture.

Do you think this peat will be used for fuel or for agriculture?
How is the land in your community used?
What important things would you include in a landscape photograph or drawing of where you live?

Exhibition Label:
“Holding Pattern: New Works at the Spencer Museum,” Sep-2014, Susan Earle and Cassandra Mesick
Barry Andersen is a member of The Museum Project: A Philanthropic Association of Photographic Artists, a coalition of photographers dedicated to sharing their works with museums and other institutions. Like other participants in this initiative, Andersen has helped foster photography through his contribution not only as an artist, but also as an educator, teaching at Northern Kentucky University for nearly 40 years. These two atmospheric photographs reflect Andersen’s ongoing study of the interface between man and nature-particularly as he explores the impact of human activity on the land. For instance, the solitary upright boulder, shorn sheep, and standing fence posts in the background of Sheep and Standing Stone, Avebury, England only hint at human intervention in an otherwise pristine environment. In his Irish landscape, Andersen captures the practice of drying peat, decaying vegetable material that can be sliced from the soil and used as fuel.