Emer Thornbury

As a visual artist, I use ink, graphite, print, textiles, wire and more to explore the theme of resilience within an urban environment. My final project uses layered, printed-textile techniques, embellished by embroidery.

Dublin’s Docklands urban landscape remains a central focus in my work. My practice is rooted in observing and expressing the quiet persistence of life within urban spaces. I am particularly drawn to grasses and mosses that emerge in the most unforgiving places—cracks in pavements, edges of walls—offering small but powerful signs of resilience, endurance and hope.

Street rubbings form an integral part of my process, as I am continually drawn to the textures, lines, and surfaces of the city. They allow me to physically engage with the hardness of the city while capturing its overlooked details, such as plaques and street signage. These impressions become both a record of, and a response to, the built environment. I explore the city's sensory impact and my own conflicted responses to it—at once alienating and stimulating.