From the Feet Up

The Artist in Residence Project ‘From the Feet Up’ was commissioned by Sligo Arts Service for Sligo Bealtaine ’09.

Over a period of six months, Maura Gilligan explored the personal,  geographical and historical pathways that led ten residents of Sligo and its environs over a 50-95  year life span to the time they now inhabited. A selection of quotes, stories and conversations makes up the pages of this book and exhibition entitled ‘From the Feet Up’.  Black & white portrait photographs by James Fraher accompany each story.

Extracts from two of the personal interviews:

“… in those days I did not have fifty pairs of shoes on a shelf… those one pair of shoes took me inside and outside, uphill and downhill, in the classroom and outside – and obviously I didn’t have enough sense to walk away with them!!…  And those shoes weren’t red, or purple, that I can recall !! I would say they were a jet black, and as flat as I was! and obviously they were pretty worn like myself because I needed them mended, and I needed mending myself but didn’t know it….   ” A.H.

“…. the odd thing about it was he was captured, some time later, and in the foray, or furore, he lost his hat, and unfortunately his name and initials were inside his hat…. now, he escaped and he went down to Tiberius – the Sea of Galilee – and we had a taggart down there, so I was detailed to go down and pick him up.  I never will forget when I went in he looked at me and he said ‘I think I know you’ he said…I said I know you too, and then I said I’ve come to pick you up, because you’ve got a court case in Jerusalem in two days’ time and I said ‘I’m your escort’ I said, ‘I’ll look after you very well ” B.M.