SOVEREIGNTY #1
Published: 16th January 2021
A photo essay about the creation of the Sovereignty project by creative director Melanie Lynch, conceptual artist Áine O’ Brien, and photographer Myriam Riand. This HerStory project was created for Safe Ireland’s #WomanAndChild campaign, empowering women who are experiencing family violence and coercive control. The art of Ériu, Brigid, and Sheela na Gig was illuminated on landmark buildings including Christ Church Cathedral and the GPO on #NollaignamBan, 6th January 2021, making the RTÉ News Headlines.
“Ireland is named after the sovereign goddess Ériu, however it’s surprising how many Irish people are unaware of this fact. When I started HerStory back in 2016, I wanted to reimagine Ériu as a metaphor for modern Ireland, embodying our nation’s transformation towards a society of equals. She is a mixed race young girl with a warrior spirit finding her voice, she awakens ancient goddesses and calls them out of the shadows and into the light. Influenced by Bard Mythologies and Riane Eisler’s provocation to reimagine the warrior archetype, I played with Éiru as a ‘Warrior of the Heart’ and a protector of the Earth. I also wanted to explore how could be empowered Éiru at the cusp of menarche, in response to the shame girls experience as they navigate this rite of passage from childhood into womanhood. In 2020 it was wonderful to team up with conceptual artist Áine O’Brien and photographer Myriam Riand to bring this vision to life. Together we agreed that local West of Ireland women would embody the goddesses - no celebrities or big names. This photo essay is the story of this inspired creative process.” - Melanie Lynch, Creative Director
The Future / Ériu
Ériu arises again, anew. Behold Eriu, anew as a child on the verge of womanhood. We invite you to invest in the future of Ireland. The goddess beginning. She is a warrior and a leader. She steps forth to own her own truth and embrace her fertility.
We see her moon blood as her power. We will celebrate her for being beautiful and full of herself. Be full of ourselves. Unashamedly free fertile women together. Shed the old. Rise anew.
We are reminded of the story of little red riding hood where mother, maiden and crone are present. The red hood symbolising the monthly blood, the whole story showing the transition to becoming prey to the wolf once fertile. But our Ériu will not be eaten, she will outsmart the predator!
Model - Aleisha Ryan-Ambele
Áine had worked with Aleisha on a film project in the summer 2019 and had remembered her distinctly. She was such a beautiful girl full of joys of childhood and so we set out to find her for this project. She was excited and willing to get involved.
Aleisha is only ten year old and so with regards to being a mixed race Irish girl, Áine spoke to her mother Marie and to another mixed race adult friend. It was very difficult to hear the identity crisis that they have to go through. Not white enough to be Irish and not black enough to be black. It was so important to us that we give her the identity of the rising anew , the Goddess of Ireland. To be omnipresent. To be Irish.
On the day of the shoot she arrived and we decided on her outfits and made up her facepaint. We then proceed to the location. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and we were able to do our job with leisure. She was amazing with direction, and although shy when her mother was around, she opened up once we were alone. She surpassed all our expectations and really embraced the opportunity.
Process:
For this image we wanted to present the future of Ireland in the image of a young warrior girl wearing a mixture of modern sports-wear as a base, layered with traditional clothing. She is holding a bodhran as a shield and blood like warrior face paint. The chosen location of the forest has also significance as it represents both the deep roots of the past and the future
There are a few references to menstruations in this piece. The red cape, the bodhán that looks like a full moon and her face paint. We want to remove the shame of blood and menstruation. To own it. A celebration of fertility. To remove the cloak of shame regarding the menstrual blood.
We walked to the woods with Aleisha and guided her through various movements to encourage her to embody the character of Eriu. Shy at first, she found her feet really quick and powerfully impersonated her role.
It was amazing to see her come into her full power. She moved away from the shy child and we got a glimpse of her female warrior self.
Renaissance / Brigid
“From our conversations with Safe Ireland, we all agreed that it was essential to represent and celebrate the full gender spectrum. In the early days of HerStory we discovered it is sacred to be transgender and gay in many indigenous cultures around the world. To embody and experience the world beyond polarity is seen as a gift and sign of enlightenment. In these divisive times, with polarities stretched to the extremes, we wanted to honour the brilliance and beauty of transgender and non-binary people.” - Creative Director Melanie Lynch
Goddess Brigid will be our inspiration for this concept. Rebirth and renewal. A goddess of healing and an LGBTQ+ icon, she is associated with the healing well. This picture is in the element of water.
Transwomen are new to our society, but not to the world. We have seen these women living in cultures where their roles were respected and necessary. They were trained to be healers, leaders, medicine people, and visionaries. In India they are known as the Hijra and in First Nations they are called the Burdash. We now wish to baptise these women of Ireland. Welcome them afresh and anew to their special roles in our community.
Welcome them home.
Model - Alexandra Hall
Finding a trans woman to participate in this project in such a short space of time was a difficult task. We eventually got in touch with someone who put the word out into the trans community and we waited to see if anyone was interested. Eventually Alexandra got in touch with us and we loved her enthusiasm that we shared for the project. We spent a lot of time talking about this photo and the concepts behind it. It was important to us that we empower our models and honour their story.
The day of the shoot arrived and I was to pick up Alexandra from the train station. I had never met a trans woman before, and I was nervous. I met her at the station and we drove a hour to the location together. It was an education. Alexandra answered all of my, sometimes ignorant questions, with such understanding and grace I felt so happy that she was to be our model. We really bonded on that journey and when it came to the photo itself, it felt extra special.
The whole experience brought up feelings of acceptance, love and understanding.
Process:
Alexandra is a trans woman and our goal with this piece is to empower her and welcome her to our community. The element of water is powerful in itself being part of rituals forever. Here we see Alexandra standing and bathing in it Immersing herself in the luxury of acceptance and beauty. The female support is there to assist her on her journey. A delicate hand aids her.
We knew that we wanted the water element and It is such an Irish thing to have a random bath in a field. How to source a bath and transport it though, is quite another thing altogether. It took ten men and myself, two days to source and transport a bath to the desired location and then another four assistants to fill the bath and keep it warm for the shoot.
Síle na Gig
Síle na gig is a female exhibitionist figure shrouded in mystery. A representation of pagan life, there seems to be no shame when it comes to the female body.
This picture will embody true confidence, unapologetic beauty and sexual freedom.
She was placed above doorways of new christian churches as a way to encourage people to enter. We wish to use her power again to encourage women to enter into their full power.
Models - Leanne Coffee
This headpiece was designed by Margaret O’Connor and James O’Toole to represent mental health.
We found Leanne through a mutual friend. We were looking for a gay woman with a strong and colourful sense of style. Leanne really cared about the character she was representing and actively sought out ways to channel Síle through the use of costuming and props.
We wanted there to be a strong contrast between what Leanne was wearing and her surroundings. Síle is a mysterious figure, it was important to us that our Síle image be playful, lighthearted and powerfully unapologetic. Leanne really understood that. She made great use of the props and costumes to bring her own amazing personality to the icon.
Process:
Áine researched the Síle na Gig iconography and found it to be both alluring and confusing! This icon was so many different things to so many different people. Some described her as a hag, others as a deity. In the end we decided that it was all about owning ones sex. Sitting in ones power, unapologetic.
Visually we wanted to show Síle in a shrine or over a doorway, in the natural environment where she would be found but as a modern figurative interpretation.
For this project we partnered with renowned milliner Margaret O’Connor. She loaned us three beautiful headpieces to experiment with. This really helped bring out the playful character element for Leanne and allowed her to be more experimental with her poses.
We also brought in a mirror as a prop as a reference to the vulva but also as a portal. We all enter into this world through a portal, this portal. Whether or not we experience a natural birth, this channel is where we began to begin our lives. There, we are all equal. Let's remember this. We are all born of woman. That is where we are one.
The positioning of the spread legs was important for us to reclaim also. Unashamedly open.
