Continuum

Draiocht Ground Floor Gallery

2015

People have tried to predict ecosystems for millennia. Paranormal means were often used, including prophecy, water divining, astrology and many other forms of divination. Realised through video, drawings and installation, Continuum explores the roles of climate scientists, environmentalists and futurists - the seers of contemporary society – who have predicted diverse ecosystems. This inquiry encompasses the historical worlds of the earliest computer simulated realities such as James Lovelock and Andrew Watsons/1983 Daisyworld, and naturalist book illustrations of the past, such as those seen in Gilbert White’s 1789 ‘Natural History of Selbourne’ and the Collins’ ‘New Naturalist Series’ of the 1960s.

Using the aesthetics of naturalist illustration, O’Brien examined the role climate science plays in the public imagination, and the powerful effect they have in shaping how people see the world, in this series of large-scale pen and ink drawings.

Martina O’Brien holds an MA in Visual Art Practice at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dun Laoghaire, 2013, having previously studied at undergraduate level at both Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design and the National College of Art and Design.

Opened by Dr Matthew Jebb, Director of The National Botanic Gardens, on 8th October 2015.