At Some Distance in the Direction Indicated

Mar 10 2018 - Apr 29 2018

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The abstract future of climate and meteorological technologies, were the central themes in O’Brien’s new body of work At Some Distance in the Direction Indicated.

The exhibition explored the advancements in climate change research that enable society to navigate with ever increasing accuracy through time and space. The artworks also examined ideas surrounding the visibility and invisibility of climate data infrastructures, along with the accessibility to data collection and storage centres.

Amongst other artworks, At Some Distance in the Direction Indicated included a series of stitched drawings informed by Lady Ada Lovelace’s contribution to computer science, an evocative video installation spotlighting the meteorological instruments and computational forecasts that predict Ireland’s extreme weather, and live CCTV footage from one of Ireland’s weather monitoring stations.

This exhibition stemed from research gained by O’Brien through her time as Artist–in-Residence at The Irish Centre for High End Computing, Dublin (2016) and Cow House Studios, Co. Wexford (2017).

About the Artist

Martina O’Brien holds an MA in Visual Art Practice at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dun Laoghaire, 2014, having previously studied at undergraduate level at both Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design and the National College of Art and Design. Her work has been supported through various awards from The Arts Council of Ireland and Kildare County Council’s Arts Office. Selected exhibitions include: Rising from the Hill: Local Systems in Global Contexts, curated by Francis Halsall & Kelley O’Brien, NCAD Gallery (2017), The Headless City, TULCA, curated by Daniel Jewesbury, Galway Arts Centre (2016), ART WORKS, VISUAL Carlow, selected by Annie Fletcher & Claire Feeley (2016), CASTING TERRITORY: A Contemporary River Keepers’ Index of Lesser Known Patterns, RUA RED, Royal Dublin Society Library and Archive and The Waterways Centre, Dublin (2015), Continuum, Draiocht, Dublin (2015) and the Cube Space, The LAB, Dublin (2013).

The artist would like to thank The Arts Council of Ireland and the Kildare Arts Office for their support. She would also like to acknowledge Met Éireann, Centro Nacional de Supercomputación, Barcelona, The Marine Institute, Galway and Teagasc, Co. Wexford, for assistance.