Cow Head, Burren 2025

My work during my time at the Burren College of Art (Co. Claire, Ireland), was primarily focused around the concept of guising. Coming from an Eastern European background I was inspired by the pre-Christian and pagan tradition I was familiar with and was driven to explore these familiar concepts through an Irish lens. Typically, these traditions feature costumes emblematic of fierce beasts, enabling escapism through its possession of the wearer, majority of whom were men. The masks provided anonymity and their beastly personas an excuse for rowdy action.

Instead of fostering the same narrative, I chose to explore the long standing relationship between cattle (historically tended to by women) and the Burren. Docile, domesticated creatures who work hand in hand with human farmers for their maintenance of the natural landscape, cows were what shaped the Irish environment from dense forest into what it is today. These animals have a long and storied history in Ireland since being brought over by neolithic farmers. They continue to aid in the ecological diversity of the Burren through the winterage process, guided by farmer tradition.

The mask is made of foraged and recycled material from around the Burren. The structure is tied with previously littered fishing line. Braided seaweed makes up its snout, and beads made from peat clay adorn the ears in place of cattle tags.

The back half of the piece is left open, the fitted window allowing it to be worn backwards. This mirror image reflects the symbiosis between the human and the grazer. Inhabiting the spirit of the cow promotes the maintenance of the Burren’s environment, but our human responsibility is not left far behind. The visibility of the wearer beneath the mask also promotes accountability. It is not a mask one wears to hide themself but one to reflect on and preserve the living landscape we inhabit.

Photo Gallery

cow head material ideation, 2025, ink on bristol