Interlude navigates the nuances of experience, interaction, memory, and materiality of place within the Burren. The exhibition serves as a testament to the transient nature of these interludes, inviting viewers to engage with the Burren’s essence through multifaceted layers of meaning and sensory immersion. 

Exploring the concept of a ‘sense of place’, Erin Besch’s paintings depict an interplay of physical and emotional terrain. Each work signifies an engagement with the landscape, emphasizing liminal spaces characterized by perpetual change and transition while echoing the fluidity of memory, encapsulating one’s experiences.

Phoebe Tohl’s installation invites the audience to come and take a seat at the table to ponder the existing relationships in the space while making time to be present, engaging and experiencing the place in unconventional ways. The relational sculptures are created in collaboration with the every-day, often non-art materials, offer a space for connection, conversation, and community building.

Erin Besch is a painter and multidisciplinary artist, whose current practice centers around identity and sense of place. Besch, currently completing her MFA at the Burren College of Art, has also actively participated in the Erasmus+ program “Performing Identity,” an international initiative spanning two academic years. Expanding on her current practice, this immersive program addresses questions of identity through workshops, festivals, performances and the creation of a globally accessible living archive. Besch’s work delves into the concept of ‘place’ as a pivotal element in anchoring memories and shaping individual and collective identities. Through her paintings, landscapes become not just physical representations but also reflections of her emotional and psychological connection to them. Besch holds an MA in Art Education from the University of Florida and a certificate from the Kang O’Higgins Atelier at Gage Academy of Art, Seattle, Washington, both earned in 2022. She completed her undergraduate studies with a BS in Psychology and a BA in Visual Arts from Union College in Schenectady, NY, in 2019.

Phoebe Tohl is an artist and curator from Los Angeles based in western Ireland. Her practice centres around eco-materiality, craft, connection and care, and is influenced by the local landscape. She aims to foster a sense of community through gatherings and personal exchanges. Phoebe earned her Bachelor’s in Gender Studies, Art History, and Arts Administration from Skidmore College in 2018, and is currently finishing an MFA in Art and Ecology at the Burren College of Art, in partnership with the University of Galway.

Recently, she co-curated an exhibition, Meant to Fade, at Laneway Gallery in Cork (June 2023), which will take new form in Saarbrucken as part of Zeitgeist Irland 2024 programming. She has shown work at Kilcoe Studios in Cork, Newtown Castle in County Clare, and the Burren College of Art Gallery.  In tandem with her pursuit of an MFA, 2022-24,  Tohl has participated in an Erasmus+  program, Performing Identity, made up of numerous intensive workshops led by international visiting artists, seminars, festivals, and performances providing a completely new perspective and practice into Tohl’s process.