The uplands in Ireland can look spongy from a distance, like stones with thick moss that have been magically enlarged into mountains. Look closer, and you can see that mossy surface is scrubland, mostly heather and one other plant. That plant has many names: gorse, furze, whin or aiteann in Ireland, depending on where in the country you come from. And it is known for its traditions with fire.

This film documents an artist research project about the history and traditions around wildfires with aiteann/gorse and Sitka Spruce. In the film, artist Shane Finan cuts branches of the two plants then creates charcoal from them. Using the charcoal, he makes large scale drawings which he later burns.

Calling on cyclical traditions of burning as creation and change, the film is about how transferring the work between media changes how it is viewed. The climax of burning the drawings ensures that the works cannot be viewed as drawings ever again, but they continue to exist as digital archive in video and photograph.

From January to March 2025, I was artist-in-residence on FIRECULT, an international research project with partners in Ireland, the UK, Italy, Turkey and the USA. The project is investigating how wildfires affect cultural heritage. I was partnered in Ireland with UCD and the Irish Uplands Forum. The artist residency is run by The Maltings Berwick and Newcastle University, with three artists resident in three countries: Ireland, Italy and Turkey, developing artistic research related to wildfires. This film is a result of that research.

More information: https://shanefinan.org/VAP/15_aiteann.html