My sister and I discovered this abandoned petrol station on one of our spins through Connemara, a very remote and deserted area in Ireland. The place feels like a relict of long ago times or a movie set. By hanging up a fancy, bright dress there and letting it swing in the wind, I wanted to highlight the place’s cinematic, slightly eerie, bizarre vibe, and tell a story of abandonment: where has the owner of the dress gone? This opens up a multitude of possible storylines.
This photograph was taken on Inisheer Island, Ireland. The memorial stone was sculpted to remember all lost at sea. Many fishermen on the islands risked their lives day by day as life was tough in such a rough and remote place. I wanted to capture the view through the hole: to me, it weirdly felt both limiting and expansive to peek through. It’s almost as if by zooming in on something small, that part becomes clearer and bigger. That’s what I tried to play with in the photograph.
Christina Hennemann is an artist and writer based in Ireland. She’s a recipient of the Irish Arts Council’s Agility Award ’23 and she was longlisted in the National Poetry Competition. Her work appears in York Literary Review, Sage Cigarettes, Tír na nÓg, The Martello, orangepeel, 805 Lit + Art, Ink Sweat & Tears, Moria, and elsewhere. Her debut poetry pamphlet “Illuminations at Nightfall” is published by Sunday Mornings at the River (2022). Find her online at christinahennemann.com, on Twitter at @chr_writer, & on Insta @c.h_92.
