William Bock

Tuesday August 22 to Tuesday September 5 2017

Post Potato / Artist Residency #2

During his second of three artist residencies at Uillinn, William continues his exploration of home, identity and migration in Ireland.

Leaving one’s homeland to follow dreams, to find love, to seek work, to escape hardship or tragedy are each universal stories but also ones at the heart of Irish identity.  Mass emigration due to the great hunger 150 years ago not only changed Ireland, it changed the world. Born and brought up in West Cork by parents with Swedish and German/Polish Jewish heritage, William is connected to the wider story of human migration.  

During the residency William will explore making responses to the act of leaving. He will initiate a series of practical and performed investigative acts inside and outside of the West Cork Arts Centre.

These acts will take influence from stories of the Irish diaspora as well as from the artist’s own family heritage. Some acts may be documented while others may only remain as a memory, Some may involve others, some may be made in isolation. Each act will attempt to get a little closer to that adaptable, egalitarian, controversial but enduring spirit of the migrant.

About the Artist

William Bock is a visual artist working with photography, painting, printmaking, performance and installation. William’s diverse work is driven by his interest in perception, memory, biography, community, embodied experience and identity.  With a background in socially engaged theatre making, his visual practice is often collaborative, process led and site/community responsive. William currently lives and works between London and West Cork. See his website for more information. 

WCAC acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council and Cork County Council in making these residencies possible.