The Digital Hub launch latest artist in residence programme

The Digital Hub has welcomed its latest artist in residence as she begins a 10-month programme at the Dublin 8 campus. Award-winning artist Seoidín O’Sullivan will bring her expertise in collaborative and educational art projects, focusing on the ecology of local areas. 

Seoidín specialises in bringing communities together to address issues including land use, lost knowledge, social justice, and biodiversity. Seoidín uses a number of mediums to convey her work, including drawings, videos, publications, and walks.

As part of the residency, The Digital Hub will support Seoidín’s ongoing work with the Urban Grit project. Urban Grit, a collaboration between University College Dublin Geography and Robert Emmett Community Development Project, is looking to map green resources in the Dublin 8 area. Seoidín will also continue her film and story mapping project of Dublin’s River Camac.

Seoidín’s work complements The Digital Hub’s existing Pocket Forests Tree Hub project launched in July, which saw the installation of the first native tree nursery in a city centre location. The nursery will support the planting of over 600 trees as part of a plan to improve tree density in Dublin 8.

Seoidín has worked in the Dublin 8 area over the last 12 years, on projects including Mapping Green Dublin in collaboration with UCD Geography, Connect the Dots and Common Ground, and Hard/Graft, a community project charting the development of urban orchards, which saw a graft taken from one of the oldest fruit-bearing trees in Ireland – the pear tree at The Digital Hub.

Seoidín is the recipient of the Arts Council Bursary Award 2021, Arts Council Next Generation Award 2018 and the inaugural Hyde Park, Chicago art residency award with IMMA and CREATE in 2017. She is also a lecturer in Visual Cultures in NCAD.

Commenting on Seoidín O’Sullivan’s residency Fiach Mac Conghail, CEO of The Digital Hub, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Seoidín as our latest artist-in-residence. She will be our fourth artist who we have supported in The Digital Hub’s engagement with our community and neighbours. Seoidín’s art practice involves working with urban green spaces, the urbanised environment and biodiversity and I look forward to seeing the outputs of Seoidín’s residency with us.”

Seoidín O’Sullivan said:

“The Digital Hub is a real focal point for the Dublin 8 community, and there are several promising initiatives already underway to promote and maintain the urban ecology of the area. I am looking forward to working with local community groups, residents and staff at The Digital Hub over the course of my residency and to have a positive impact on better understanding the importance of urban ecology.”

Seoidín will be The Digital Hub’s fourth artist in residence in as many years, following successful partnerships with artists Elaine Hoey (2020), Kate Nolan (2019), and Mandy O’Neill (2018).

The Digital Hub has a long-standing commitment to supporting the arts and creativity. Ongoing initiatives include sponsorship of the Dublin Fringe Festival and Dublin Theatre Festival, educational programmes in collaboration with BIMM Dublin, and a special programme with the Dublin International Film Festival, called Screen8, which works with local groups to write, produce and film a short movie for the festival each year.

The Digital Hub have introduced a number of initiatives to foster sustainable activities in Dublin 8, including the installation of Ireland’s first urban tree nursery, hosting 6 beehives on the campus in partnership with the Robert Emmet Community Development Project’s Inner-City Bee Keeping Project, the use of solar PV panels on campus buildings and acting as a lead partner in Smart D8, an initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of citizens through collaboration and innovation.

Further information is available at: www.thedigitalhub.com or on Twitter: @TheDigitalHub.