Sound Art Release | Shapeshifter 2, Marie Phelan

Shapeshifter 2 is the second iteration in the Shapeshifter series by multimedia artist Marie Phelan. This work examines traces of beliefs that persist within our landscape, with a focus on their transformational properties, and subsequent ways of being.

Shapeshifter 2, created during 2020, takes the form of an audio release, featuring direct recordings from within the Oweynagat cave. The Oweynagat cave is in Co. Roscommon, a place of archaeological significance, home to the Morrigan, (Celtic Goddess and Shapeshifter), and it is Ireland’s Gateway to the Otherworld. The audio used for these recordings was infused with the sounds of crows from South Carlow, at dusk. The text for the spoken word is from Phelan’s own writings on the transformational nature of 2020.

Through the consideration of acoustic theories, and the relationship a space’s physicality can have with sound, these recordings capture a trace of Oweynagat inside this audio. Shapeshifter 2 is available online.

Marie Phelan is a multimedia artist whose work explores belief systems, ritual, and the connection to place, with the natural environment playing a central role in the narrative. She creates often imaginary worlds to reflect on current societal concerns, and through the use of video, audio, sculpture and drawing, introduces a dialog that meditates on the crossover of past and present.

This work was kindly supported by Artlinks.