Miriam O'Connor Will you be an agent for change?

These photographs were created through a collaborative commission with students from Cork University Business School that focused on the economics of sustainable growth. There are four different images of the same Irish yew tree located on the UCC campus, and colourful tracings made by the artist of the outline of the treetop from scaled down versions of the photographs.

Suggesting links to the four business quarters of the year, the tracings mimic candlestick charts, key analytical markers associated with business for assessing the attitude, mood, and actions of marketplace traders. The Yew tree is traditionally revered for its medicinal and spiritual qualities, yet can be toxic to humans and animals alike. The artist and the students were concerned with symbolising individual resistance and taking action as a tool towards a fairer society. The artist has stipulated that the order of the four tree photographs should change when significant world events arise, indicated the inherent instability of our natural world as well as financial markets.