We are delighted to launch a new project funded under the UCD Sustainability Seed Funding Programme.
ARISE - Art & Research in Sustainability and Environment is an interdisciplinary project led by UCD Parity Studios in partnership with UCD Earth Institute, WaterLANDS project and IMMA - Irish Museum of Modern Art.
The sustainability challenges facing the world are multiple, interlinked and urgent; a polycrisis. Academic research can investigate problems and identify solutions but the fundamental structural changes to our multi -stakeholder multi- species planet require sensitive engagement, creativity and collaboration. Art has unique capacities to leverage deep meanings for this change in the context of entrenched problems and positions. Artists can play a pivotal role in reframing world views towards a sustainable and healthy future for all.
UCD Parity Studios has been instrumental in developing a positive culture for art and academic collaborations across UCD. Sustainability has been a key feature of many of these collaborations. UCD Earth Institute has hosted two previous artists in residence and many institute members have active collaborations with artists. The WaterLANDS project hosts six four-year artistic residencies across Europe aligned to wetland restoration sites.
ARISE will produce a range of resources to support art -research collaborations in sustainability, including research findings, a toolkit for best practice and new structures within the UCD Parity Studios residency programme. These resources will enable researchers to collaborate in a reciprocal and fair way with artists and will open up new avenues to share and communicate research with diverse audiences. On a national level the project aims to create connections across Ireland in this area. It aims to increase the scope of the UCD Parity residencies to support site specific research and develop practical resources for artists and researchers working at local level.
We will be announcing open calls for artists and researchers in the coming weeks and look forward to working in partnership with IMMA to bring you workshops and talks in 2025.
ARISE is led by Emer O’Boyle, Creative Director and Co-Founder of UCD Parity Studios, in partnership with Caitríona Devery from UCD Earth Institute, Dr Shane McGuinness from the WaterLANDS project and Sheena Barrett Head of Research and Learning at IMMA - Irish Museum of Modern Art.
The UCD Sustainability Seed Funding Programme is supported by Performance Funding from the Higher Education Authority (HEA).
Image: Emer O'Boyle