Conceiving of land as ‘a latent archive of silent histories‘ (Uriel Urlow, Theatrum Bontanicum), William Bock’s Land Walks Land Talks Land Marks explores how the natural environment might become a space to unearth stories about identity, belonging and migration. An exhibition which encompasses three distinct yet interconnected parts, it comprises visual artworks, a public forum of conversations and engagements, and a series of sound walks produced by the artist in collaboration with asylum seekers and local residents.

Land Walks is a collaborative sound project that maps experiences of belonging and uprooting in the West Cork landscape. Over six months, William Bock walked with individuals living in Clonakilty Lodge Direct Provision Centre and local residences, recording their conversations as they walked. Together with the artist, composer Justin Grounds and artist Michael Holly, the group edited the recordings and created a soundscore for others to listen to while walking in the same locations. Since 2018, William also recorded walks with other West Cork residents, who share their own perspectives on Irish identity, migration and the land they now live on.

Land Talks is a month-long series of events- discussions, workshops and film screenings curated by William Bock that brings together artists and local communities to think creatively around the themes of the exhibition. It is a space to assemble, to listen to old stories and envision new ones. As anthropologist and writer Donna Haraway urges, we need to radically ‘change the story’ of our relationship to nature and to each other in this time of rapid social and ecological flux.

Land Marks is an audio-visual installation for Gallery II, informed by two years of research walking around West Cork. It includes field recordings, conversations and materials sourced during the walks. It creates a space for conversations and reflection, for discourse and contemplation. Through this assembly of field recordings, photography, painting, foraged plants and pigments, William Bock seeks to open a conversation about our complex, interconnected and troubled relationship with the natural environment, and speaks of the entangled stories of migrations and ecologies across the world.