midnight zone Panel

Highlanes Municipal Gallery

2023

Marking Science Week 2023, and the final day of Martina O'Brien's enlightening exhibition, midnight zone, a number of experts in the field of marine science and law, joined Martina for a series of absorbing, fascinating and informative afternoon talks. Martina’s work in midnight zone explored the earth’s last untouched frontier and its ethics, the changing ocean floor, underwater search and rescue, and underwater acoustics, deep sea mining, and with the compelling central work – an electroacoustic sound installation with soundscape, referencing Irish traditional music and the sound of humpback whales, with found audio from Dr Eoghan’s Daly’s PhD research; the series of works reflecting our changing relationship with the planet in a highly technological era, and within the current conversations around climate change and climate emergency.

The afternoon’s talks began with Ocean Law & Policy Researcher of the TBA21 Academy, Mekhala Dave and Martina O’Brien discussing their shared interest in the area of ocean law, ethics and deep sea mining, followed later by a panel with Martina, Dr. Eoghan Daly, Scientific and Technical Officer with Oceanographic and Climate Services at the Marine Institute and formerly iCRAG, and Professor Peter Croot, Marine Biogeochemist at UG and PI in iCRAG, and chaired by Dr Fergus McAuliffe, Communications and Engagement Manager, iCRAG, the SFI Research Centre in Applied Geosciences, the oceanographers and the artist discussing the science of the sea and the art-science interface. Martina O'Brien's work has been supported and activated through an artist’s residency through UCD Parity Studios and ICRAG, where she has joined Marine Research Vessels on their exploration voyages off the coast of Ireland, and important grants from the Arts Council of Ireland.