Amelia Stein
, Irish, b.1958
Printer
Guillaume Geneste
Title
Hand Cut Bog, 2011Date2019
MediumGelatin silver print
Credit LinePurchased, 2019
Object numberNGI.2019.137
DescriptionThis work is one of a series of photographs by Amelia Stein which focusses on turbary and the tradition of cutting peat by hand. Turbary, the legal right to cut turf, has been invoked in Ireland for centuries and has provided a local source of fuel for both domestic and industrial purposes. 'Hand Cut Bog' shows the typical pattern of an expertly spade cut bog, with freshly harvested peat arranged neatly on the surface and on the ground. The exposed cross-section of this ancient County Mayo bog shows the composition of turn at different depths – a result of thousands of years of bog formation.ProvenancePurchased, Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin, 2019Exhibition HistoryShaping Ireland, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 13 April - 7 July 2019