Revealing nature’s unseen rhythms
U27 – Dublin Bay by Kerrie O’Leary
Hyperobject is a term first coined by the environmental philosopher Timothy Morton in 2008 to describe things that are within human understanding but beyond our immediate grasp, such as global warming, the solar system, or the sea.
So how can we represent a hyperobject like the sea to make it both tangible and deeply engaging? We invited artist Kerrie O’Leary to speak at our offsite last month to explore this question by learning more about Kerrie’s art piece Dublin Bay, a visualisation of the effortless distribution of water during the six hour tidal period.
Using tidal chart data from the bay where the River Liffey meets the Irish Sea, Dublin Bay uses a system of pulleys and weights inspired by the historical methods of tidal measurement to recreate the behaviour of the currents.
From filling her childhood bedroom with a network of tiny pulley systems, to enduring a cold and solitary few months in Maine, O’Leary painted a relatable picture of how she navigates complexity to subtly address themes of climate change and human impact.
We asked O’Leary how she balances the need to maintain data integrity with the desire to create a compelling and emotive narrative, and she said, “For me, it’s a fluid, back-and-forth process between the data and the narrative. Often, I begin with a concept or emotional message I want to convey, and then explore datasets that align with that vision. The relationship is iterative – I’ll refine both the narrative and the data presentation, making sure the data integrity is preserved as much as possible, while also investigating other ways to evoke a deeper emotional response such as adding sound, for example.”
This specific model was commissioned by The Eco Showboat and Arts Council of Ireland. O’Leary is on the ‘Makers with a Mission’ programme at Makerversity in Somerset House, which is where Applied Works is headquartered. You can follow O’Leary’s work on Instagram.
AW Springboard
Applied Works invites you to apply for free design, user, and impact expertise (worth £12k) to help bring your important data or research project to the attention of the people who need to see it.
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