Artist – Sharon dipity
Movement Memory Maps
Clonakilty Community Hospital
Inspired by Sharon dipity‘s research into movement and mark-making, residents at Clonakilty Community Hospital set out to work with the artist to create Movement Memory Maps. With a plan to draw from imaginary and remembered movement, the project aimed to bring more mark-making into the session, and more movement into the drawing.
To begin, the group looked at other artists’ drawings, and the types of marks they made. View finders were used to focus on an area of the drawing, and participants replicated the marks in pencil and marker pen. Sharon read Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’ to introduce the theme of walks and journeys. Residents discussed whether they would take the well-trodden path or the less travelled one; and reminisced about journeys taken. The group used this theme to travel down paths they had taken in forests or meadows, and drew these from memory and imagination. To enhance the experience of drawing their journeys, Sharon played recordings of birds singing in meadows and forests in the background.
Over the weeks, participants explored making marks with water-soluble oil pastels, chalk pastels, pencil, and markers. They made drawings and maps of remembered walks and day-trips taken using watercolour pencil crayons and water-souble oil pastels. The group discussed their journeys afterward, and Sharon wrote down each one. Sharon also brought in maps of various kinds including local ordnance survey maps, weather maps, isobar, contour maps, constellations; and imaginary maps made by artists to inspire the mapping process.
Writing Together
During the project, the residents and Sharon wrote a descriptive walk together entitled ‘A Big Adveture’. The group chose the locations, scenery, and infrastructure that they would encounter on the way. The story was visual, auditory, sensory and also described the emotions it brought up.
Sharon then typed up the story and cut it into sections. Participants chose a scene at random, and illustrated it. These drawings were made on concertina booklets of drawing paper using pencil, watercolour pencils and water-soluble oil pastels. Instructional drawing scrolls assisted in drawing out the sensory, visual, and auditory details.
Timeframe
This project took place from June to September 2025.
Testimonies
‘It’s lovely to sit and watch and admire.’ – Participant
This project was supported by the Arts for Health Partnership Programme, West Cork.
Images by Sharon dipity.