DUBLIN.- Christopher Steenson’s solo exhibition at mother’s tankstation, Dublin, titled They haven’t gone away you know, is comprised of a series of artworks that explore power struggles between the individual and the state, from both human and more-than-human perspectives. This body of work, collectively titled The Long Grass (2022-24), was bourne through an extensive period of research surrounding the corncrake – a bird that has taken on symbolic meaning in relation to Irish independence.

Once prosperous and widespread across Ireland and Britain, the corncrake was known as the sound of the Irish summer, with its distinctive call permeating the countryside’s soundscape. The corncrake is now almost extinct, due to the rapid development in mechanised farming over the last fifty years, with the bird’s call now only heard in remote sections of Ireland’s west coast, areas closely linked with the Irish language (the Gaeltacht).

For The Long Grass, Steenson conducted field research with Corncrake LIFE – a conservation group who have been working with local communities in the west of Ireland to restore corncrake habitats and change farming practices that affect the bird’s chances of survival. This research residency was commissioned by Ormston House, a contemporary art gallery and cultural resource centre based in Limerick.

One of the primary manifestations of The Long Grass is a 35mm slide projection work, consisting of both photographic and synchronised sound elements. The work draws together phrases and moments stemming from field research, alongside texts from oral histories of ‘the Troubles’ in the North of Ireland, interviews with the artist’s family members, and the National Folklore Collection.

These sources – which sometimes originate from oppositional points of view – represent a multitude of experiences, ranging from Irish farmers’ feelings towards the EU, to second-hand recollections of army patrols during the North of Ireland conflict. Presented together, and with their original provenance removed, these seemingly contrasting voices combine to generate universal and shared meanings.

The use of asterisms – which punctuate the different sections of the work – reinforces the anonymity of the texts’ sources, whilst also locating the work within the seasonal cycle of the corncrake, which use an imprinted map of the stars to guide their migratory patterns. The corncrake’s call is heard in synchronicity with the endpoint of each slide projection cycle. Listened to in this way, the bird’s sound serves as a gesture towards shared issues of land and environment; and calls for freedom, to and from distant places.

Components of this work has been previously presented as part of the group exhibitions: The Sky is Falling! at Ormston House, Limerick (2024); mother tongue at The MAC, Belfast (2024); inching towards at Freelands Foundation, London (2024).

With a practice that spans sound, lens-based media, text and digital systems, Christopher Steenson’s (b.1992, North of Ireland) work bridges historical and speculative narratives to interrogate the politics of time, environment and more-than-human-relations. In navigating these concerns, Steenson seeks to create works through which we “listen across tenses”.

Steenson’s solo exhibitions include Breath Variations, Flat Time House, London (2023) and Soft Rains Will Come, VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art, Carlow (2022). Previous group exhibitions include: The Air We Share, Galway Arts Centre (2025); The Sky is Falling!, Ormston House, Limerick (2024); mother tongue, The MAC, Belfast (2024); inching towards, Freelands Foundation, London (2024); Penumbra, LAVA, Mexico City (2024). Upcoming solo presentations include: Stone Age Economics, CCA Derry~Londonderry (2026).

With thanks to Caimin Walsh and Ormston House, Limerick, who originally commissioned this work.