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iascaireacht taibhse: Is humanity’s future entangled in discarded fishing nets?
This body of work looks at Sustainable Development Goal 14; life below water.
A mutual admiration for the natural environment served as the driving force behind this project. The sculpture installation depicts the long-term effects of a steadily rising carbon dioxide (CO2) level. Excess CO2 is absorbed and stored by the water, resulting in an impending inhospitable environment for sea life. Due to the increase in CO2 levels, the sea produces less oxygen (O2) over time. A considerable reduction in the number of fish and flora that can be sustained in the water will eventually occur, resulting in a severe deficiency of O2 being released into our atmosphere. Due to the absence of O2, humans could eventually suffocate. Overfishing and Ghost fishing (when derelict fishing gear, such as lost or abandoned fishing nets, continues to fish without being controlled) is a major human contribution to reducing O2 levels in the water.
The goal of this project is to bring attention to the detrimental effects pollution, overfishing and rising CO2 levels are having on the ecosystem, particularly life below water.
Ash Amraoui is a Dublin based musician, composer and educator. He is currently pursuing a Professional Masters of Education (PME) at UCD. Prior to the PME, Ash successfully completed a BA (Hons) Degree in Music and English at Maynooth University. For this project, Ash used music as a means of environmental activism in his composition, Iascaireacht Taibhse. Ash is part of the first cohort of students from UCD to take part in NCAD’s Change Lab.
Mairead Dillon is a Louth based artist currently engaging in a Professional Masters of Education in NCAD. Mairead graduated from Liverpool Hope University in 2015 with an honours in Fine Art. Since then, she has been a practicing artist, educator and traveller. Often autobiographical, Mairead’s work explores themes of femininity, ephemerality and immersion in the natural environment. Not focussing on a specific medium, Mairead employs painting, sculpture, performance, text and photography to create seemingly playful artworks that regularly possess a dark, ironic undercurrent.
Lorcan Murphy is an artist, educator and environmentalist. He completed his BA (Hons) in Art at IADT and is currently studying the Professional Masters of Education in NCAD. Lorcan specialised in contemporary art film during his undergraduate degree and has a passion for drawing and painting. Lorcan’s work deals with isolation, the natural world and giving the mundane/everyday a higher importance.
April Prendergast is a Kildare based artist and educator currently studying the Professional Master of Education (Art & Design) at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin. She completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art at NCAD, graduating in 2020 with a first-class honours degree. April specialised in Ceramics during her undergraduate degree and spent the first year of the course studying in Limerick School of Art and Design. Her work is often sculptural and is typically reflective of an appreciation for the natural environment.
Jennifer Ward is a Wicklow based artist and educator who is presently pursuing a Professional Master of Education (Art & Design) at NCAD in Dublin. Jennifer graduated from IADT, Dun Laoghaire with a BA (Hons) in 3D Design, Model Making, and Digital Art. Jennifer enjoys painting, sculpture, and graphic design, her work frequently depicts personal concerns from her daily existence.