In a small fishing town in Northern Ireland, discarded fish boxes became makeshift race carts – rough, smelly, and full of possibility. For some, they were a source of speed and freedom. For Eleanor Carlingford, they were something just out of reach.
This memory opens into a wider reflection on movement and imagination. From those homemade wagons to the chariots of myth and even modern space travel, the idea of being carried forward – by force, by design, or by gravity, connects past and present in unexpected ways.
Eleanor’s brand new show Chariots is now open and features 9 oil paintings on the canvas.
“When I was young and living in a fishing town in Northern Ireland, the fish boxes were sturdy, made of wood. Although they stank of fish, and you had to sit amongst the scrapings of fish scales, they were fine treasures for the boys of the town. Frequently washed up on the shore, they were scavenged with purpose and made into race carts.
Two fish boxes, one of top of the other formed the body of a wee wagon. Pram wheels were added. Also necessary was a rudimentary steering column. I wanted so badly to have one of my own, but I was a girl. It would never happen.“
“Now, aware of the feelings of power and propulsion which these vehicles gave to me – even as a bystander – I am remembering the ingenuity of imagination invested in these clattering vehicles. So…for this exhibition I have been thinking more widely about chariots in general.”
“Helios is said to have driven his chariot carrying the sun across the sky every day from dawn to dusk. Thor drove a chariot drawn by goats. Hades’ chariot was black. Aphrodite’s was golden. Zeus, Demeter, Artemis, Dionysus and many more all had their chariot. In Irish mythology also, the abductor of the children of Lir is said to have “got her chariot yoked” in order to steal the children away. Hebo from Chinese mythology drove a chariot pulled by two dragons.
No chariot of course has its own means of propulsion. They need to be pulled, or as in the case of a fish box wagon, pushed. In space, gravity acts on the continuous fall of a module and facilitates the unpowered orbit, so I’m including reference to Artemis II as perhaps the most exciting instance of charioteering of the moment.”
Eleanor’s show is installed in the upper gallery and will be open throughout April and May. If you are unable to visit the gallery, you can find all work online now.
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