Notes from Sheepland

Orla Barry is a hard-working, lipstick-wearing sheep farmer in rural Wexford. She is also a visual artist, renowned for her video and sound art. She strides confidently from art seminars to the Tullamore Show, lambing in April and shearing in June, working tirelessly to make a living from eco-farming in the face of global demand for faster, cheaper meats and wools. But while tied to the demands of the ovine calendar she must make time to let her creativity flow.

Cara Holmes’s delightful feature debut is filled with wit and whimsy, with lush landscapes, surprising choral interventions, Barry’s art, and soothing images of handsome sheep. It is a joyous portrait of one artist by another and a celebration of feminism, independence, and a love of the environment.