Hamartia
Hamartia’ – is an unintended and unnoticed tragic flaw that leads to disaster.
Referring to the mica scandal and current housing issues, I have created an installation which aims to interrogate the tension between protection and incarceration, the prioritisation of idealised form over function, and the socio-economic and political implications when shelter fails, transforming the protective shell into a confining cage…and most importantly – when the idea of home-ownership is an unrealistic dream.
The Mica Scandal, also known as the Defective Concrete Blocks Crisis, is a construction industry failing in Ireland which surfaced in 2016. It is concentrated mainly in Mayo and Donegal affecting thousands of homes. In essence, excessive muscovite mica was found in the concrete block aggregate which absorbs too much water causing cracking during freeze-thaw cycles leading to structural crumbling. A 2017 report identified vulnerabilities in building control procedures where regulation was insufficient and products mostly self-certified. A grant scheme exists providing some financial aid but many homeowners insist that it doesn’t go far enough to cover their costs. Issues around mental health and depression have been linked to the fiasco. I was initially drawn to the issue as it represented a clear instance where shelter fails and becomes suffocating as homeowners are left without their homes and no way to rebuild until redress issues are resolved.
The initial research grew out of a residency 2023 at the Centre Culturel Irlandais where, with my background as a fine art conservator, I successfully experimented with forming hydrogels using a vegetable matrix based on common food additives Agar, Konjac and Xanthan building on training received by Matt Cushman (Winterthur University of Delaware). When dehydrated I use this material to produce wafer thin sheets that can be formed and shaped. By incorporating media and pigments, including mica dust and flakes, I create rigid forms with varied opacity. Hydrogel, a material with applications in conservation, medicine, and the food industry, contrasts with mica, notorious for its role in the disintegration of concrete and its use as an additive in cosmetics. This duality underscores the thematic tension in my work.
In ‘Hamartia’, I have fabricated a shell-shaped enclosure in mild steel in modular 2m x 1m sections that when assembled, measures 2.25m (H) x 2m (W) x 2.25m (D). The shell is as an ongoing symbol in my work – originating from Bachelard’s theory of the shell providing private space in which to develop. This steel shell acts as an armature to support sheets of desiccated hydrogel loaded with coarse mica flakes. The overall effect suggests an organic grotto-esque structure with a reflective and occasionally semi-transparent surface. The integration of steel and mica/hydrogel embodies a dynamic interplay between permanence and fragility, rigidity and transformation. The glittering allure of mica juxtaposed with the delicate, re-formable nature of hydrogel allows me to explore themes of vulnerability, transformation, and the intersection of the body and architecture. This material tension not only reflects the mica scandal but also critiques the obsession with style over substance.
