‘Exploring the Power of Story-Telling in the Work of Ailbhe Reilly-Tuite’
Written by Lara Quinn
American author and professor in comparative mythology, Joseph Campbell (1904 – 1987, New York), once said,
‘What I think, is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare? And then if you do dare, the dangers are there, and the help also, and the fulfilment or the fiasco. There’s always the possibility of a fiasco. But there’s also the possibility of bliss’.[1]
Campbell became widely renowned for his theory of the hero’s journey or monomyth which he first explored in his major publication titled, ‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’ (1949). The monomyth, he describes, is a template devised to map the narrative arc that a heroic protagonist embarks upon in classical myth and legend.[2] Campbell breaks it down into 17 stages, within which, the hero discovers his own shortcomings in the face of a ‘great ordeal’, undergoes a major transformation to overcome the peril, known as apotheosis, before eventually returning to his old life forever changed by the journey he just made.
Within their visual art practice, emerging artist, Ailbhe Reilly-Tuite demonstrates their own iteration of a monomyth, using drawing, animation, sound and installation to establish the chapters of what they define as life’s great adventure. In contrast to the calculated, theoretical writings of Campbell, Reilly-Tuite’s work is richly intuitive and instinctual, exemplifying a monomyth and its stages in the very development of their practice and exhibitions. From immersive sound compositions, innovative curatorial devices to the invitation for viewers to become active participants in the making of the work, Reilly-Tuite’s practice harnesses the gallery space as a tool to involve the viewer in playful engagement with the art, not exclude them through the didactic traditions of passive viewing.
These components of Reilly-Tuite’s practice are highlighted in their majorly successful, interactive artwork titled, Dreamscape, made as a part of their BA Degree Show at MTU Crawford College of Art and Design (2024) and later exhibited in the Laneway Gallery as a part of the Cork Fringe Festival (2025). Upon a large frame of stretched canvas, viewers were invited to trace the image of one of Reilly-Tuite’s elaborate drawings, guided by a projection of the artist’s hand-drawn, stop-motion animation which features one of their many invented characters. In this case, it is a black, amorphous droplet, like an accidental splash of paint suddenly come to life, that traverses through the terrain of Reilly-Tuite’s Dreamscape. The projection seamlessly interacts with the drawing’s composition, directing the viewer’s hand as they trace the lines of the artist’s marks. In their participation, the viewer subsequently evolves from the role of passive onlooker to active participant in the artist’s process.
For Reilly-Tuite, this artwork represents the cyclical journey of death and rebirth, a narrative demonstrated within the artwork through acts of intentional repetition. With every participant that traces over the artist’s drawing, the journey begins and ends anew, again and again. Throughout the duration of its display, the artwork remains in a liminal state of extended transformation, evoking both the Sisyphean nature of the human condition as well as the fleeting, transience of our time. However, the playfulness of the artwork’s interactive devices along with its vibrant aesthetic juxtaposes these more sombre sentiments, preserving vitality within the work while seemingly mirroring the general ignorance of one’s own perceived mortality amidst daily mundanities. Repeatedly tracing the path of this journey in the literal re-tracing of this multi-layered drawing, we are reminded of a sense of companionship in our shared experience of the human condition that perhaps even trumps our fear of it.
When researching for this project, Reilly-Tuite drew from both their personal memories as well as their keen interest in Irish folklore. Rooted in the ruins of Ireland’s ancient, heritage site, Loughcrew in co. Meath, Reilly-Tuite found the inspiration they needed. Not only is the site’s neolithic burial chamber a landmark of major significance within Irish history, containing some of the country’s most remarkable examples of neolithic art to date,[3] but it is also more personally a site of sentimental value for the artist.
Originally from co. Meath, Reilly-Tuite visited Loughcrew often throughout their childhood, hiking the site’s steep hills with their family. Within their work, the cacophony of ancient carvings preserved at Loughcrew have been rearranged to compose a visual language with which Reilly-Tuite can communicate the narratives most fervent to them in their art. Diamonds come to represent entities, zigzags denote a method of counting while curved lines can mark the boundaries of ecosystems. The ancient symbols, whose meanings we can no longer fully ascertain, are reprised within Reilly-Tuite’s work, in yet another demonstration of the death and rebirth cycle. It is through this process that the ancient landscape of Ireland becomes a reimagined Dreamscape of the artist.
When it came time to develop this research into physical making, Reilly-Tuite found resolution in the mediums of animation, film and sound. As the recipient of the Backwater Artists Moving-Image Bursary (2024), they have continued to work with these mediums throughout their practice since. For them, moving-image is the visual art form that most closely emulates music. This is largely due to the fact it is a durational process, which Reilly-Tuite feels echoes the capacity that music possesses to transport an individual on a journey as opposed to a destination, as is the case with a finished piece. Music as inspiration to produce visual art isn’t something new for Reilly-Tuite. From learning the piano as a young child, the influence of their father’s musicality, their early years at Crawford College attempting to draw music in their own practice along with their involvement with the ensemble, The Orchestra of Disquiet, Reilly-Tuite has long blurred the lines between art that is seen and art that is heard. By combining drawing with moving-image in the production of their stop-motion animations, the artist discovered an art-form which simultaneously captures the evocative gestures of mark-making through a medium that still maintains the process of making as paramount.
Using Dreamscape as an overarching story map, Reilly-Tuite’s subsequent exhibitions have examined specific stages of the journey it narrates. This is evident in the artist’s two most recent solo shows: ‘In the Well’, exhibited at the Lavit Gallery from July 3rd to July 26th, 2025, and ‘You can call it an Adventure (if something goes wrong)’, exhibited at Backwater Artist Group’s Studio 12 Gallery from September 5th to October 3rd, 2025. Where ‘In the Well’ focused on a period of dormancy and preservation within the greater journey of Dreamscape, the exhibition ‘You can call it an Adventure (if something goes wrong)’, represents the hopefulness of a new beginning that follows.
Examining familiar paths the artist frequented over the past year, specifically from their time spent living in rural Donegal, ‘You can call it an Adventure (if something goes wrong)’ aims to consolidate the conflicting feelings which arise when beginning something anew. Similarly to Reilly-Tuite’s layering of drawings in Dreamscape, the artist layers their many memories of walking these rural paths to create a unique reimagining of the experience that is focused more on capturing the sensation of undertaking this journey as opposed to a true rendering of its route. The gestural markings of their drawings, which delineate the path from the sea and the flowers from the grass, prioritise the representation of the blowing breeze and the strides between steps. Every frame comes to represent each of these steps taken, as the viewer is guided along this symbolic path, the memories of which harbour incitement for future adventure.
Again, Reilly-Tuite uses stop-motion animation to convey the theme of journeying, evident in the production of their animated film titled, Grassy Path. However, unlike the vibrancy of Dreamscape, this work is made without the use of colour. In fact, the entire exhibition is monochromatic except for a single wall painted a dark, forest green, serving to juxtapose the brightness of the gallery space. This is an intentional mechanism employed by the artist to preserve the viewer’s focus solely for the light of the space and the movement of the Grassy Path animation. For Reilly-Tuite, these are essential themes within this body of work, representative of the inherent urge to move towards the light after a period of dormancy.
A sound composition further amplified the sensation of movement in the gallery, played back and forth between two speakers on either side of the projected animation. It included recordings captured during the artist’s walks in Donegal amongst journeys to other cities, such as the sound of a bus on the way to Leap, the hectic noises of Connolly station along with the intimate chatter of a friend’s car radio. Some of the sounds are symbolic, including the creaking gate which, for Reilly-Tuite, signals the introduction of a new sound to the composition, as if passing through the gated threshold that separates one place from another.
The arrangement of the speakers orchestrates the sound so as to mimic the movement of the viewer as they navigate through the space. 17 strips of drawings, each titled a second in the grass accordingly, hang from the gallery ceiling, carving an anti-clockwise, spiral path through which people are encouraged to walk. Each strip contains 12 individual drawings which together amount to the 204 frames that were made to create the stop-motion animation, Grassy Path. The significance of the number 17 in Reilly-Tuite’s work is notable when compared to the aforementioned writings of Joseph Campbell, whose theory of the monomyth similarly composed of 17 individual stages. For Reilly-Tuite however, the number 17 is specifically used for its reverence in Irish folklore, representing a sacred number due to its repeated references throughout Irish myths and legends.
According to Campbell, one of the purposes of the myth is ‘to carry the individual through the stages of one’s life’.[4] They are not historical stories, but archetypal narratives which have the capacity to incite deep resonance and subsequent action in the viewer or listener. Visual art that draws from myth and legend has the capacity to convey this archetypal content in an altogether more visceral experience due to the viewer’s sense of autonomy in understanding the art for and by themselves.
This proposition is supported by author, Leonard Shlain (1937 – 2009, Michigan) in his book, ‘Art and Physics’, where he proposes that the conception of thought is often, but not exclusively, preceded by the act of looking.[5] In other words, visual art can be considered one of the principal instigators for inspiring new waves of thought in an individual or generation of people.[6] Reilly-Tuite demonstrates this in their work, conveying deeply profound themes through art that is accessible, playful and imperfectly human, all the while subverting the traditional experience of viewing art by inviting the viewer to participate in the journey for themselves.
Lara Quinn is a Cork-based artist and writer. She holds a BA in Fine Art from MTU Crawford College of Art and Design (2024) with prior education studying the History of Art at University College Cork. Her work has been reviewed in the Irish Arts Review, Visual Artists News-Sheet and the Irish Examiner. Quinn’s awards include the Agility Award (2025), Student of the Year Award (2024) and Best Thesis Prize (2024) to name a few.
Ailbhe Reilly-Tuite is an interdisciplinary artist based in Cork. They graduated from BA Fine Art in Crawford in 2024. Their work explores imaginary realms through drawing, bookmaking, moving image, and sound. They hope to create artworks which welcome others into playful and contemplative spaces, focusing on drawing as an intrinsic tool for communication.
Backwater Artists Group Moving Image Bursary is awarded to a graduating artist from MTU Crawford College of Art & Design, who demonstrates talent and ambition in their work practice. The award includes a free studio space for 6 months, a solo exhibition with associated supports, including an artist’s fee and mentorship by a relevant art professional. In 2024/2025 Ailbhe has been mentored by Anthony Murphy. Backwater Artists Group Moving Image Bursary is in partnership with Cork Film Centre and MTU Crawford College of Art & Design.
[1] Joseph Campbell, Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation, (California: New World Library, 2004), 133.
[2] Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, (New Jersey: Princeton Press, 2004), 23.
[3] Frank Prendergast, ‘The Loughcrew Hills and Passage Tomb Complex’, B. Stefanini and G.M. Glynn (Eds), Field Guide No.29 – North Meath, (Dublin: Arrow Technological University, 2011), 49.
[4] Joseph Campbell, Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation, (California: New World Library, 2004), 112.
[5] Leonard Shlain, Art and Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time and Light, (New York: William Morrow
and Company Inc., 1991), 19.
[6] Ibid.