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Maria Mcsweeney

@mariamcs__photography

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Currently studying Marine Biology @universitycollegecork 🌊
Currently showing: @antainarts
Upcoming shows: @tondublin & @salforduni 🎞️

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I’m so happy to finally present this project. We’ve been working on it for almost a year, and it’s been a really interesting journey from the original idea to what the exhibition has become.
When I was approached by the owner of TØN Gallery to develop a curatorial idea, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to explore how pedagogy could be integrated into the way we curate, present and experience art.
The starting point was simple: I wanted to bring together an exhibition of women artists who work with familiar artistic methods, but approach them in unexpected and alternative ways.
I started with Hazel, whose embroidery practice I had been following for some time. Her technique always caught my eye. Then Maria, whose use of sea wood and natural materials brought something completely different. Julie followed, whose work sits between science and art, while her experiments with electronic mechanics inside the camera challenge what we think photography can be. And Kamille, whose use of colour is vibrant, unconventional and completely her own.
I also wanted to bring together artists at different stages of their practice. For me, that creates a different kind of conversation and balance within the exhibition. It’s not simply about putting established artists together. It’s about creating a space where different experiences, approaches and ways of making can sit alongside one another.
My interest in pedagogy actually goes back to a mentorship I took part in at the Brecht Forum in NYC, where I had the opportunity to work with Augusta Boal. That experience stayed with me and has continued to influence how I think about art, learning, participation and bringing people together.
This exhibition is an attempt to bring some of those ideas into the gallery.
I’m really excited about what these artists have created and about the conversations the work can open up.
There will also be a series of talks and workshops throughout the exhibition, so please come along, spend some time with the work, and take part.
More details soon.
#TONGallery #ContemporaryArt #WomenArtists #Curating #ArtAndScience AlternativeMethods Photography Pedagogy DublinArt IrishArt by @mariamcs__photography

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13 days ago

Creative Spark is thrilled to present Bailiú, a group exhibition celebrating the artists from our 2025/26 Artist-in-Residence Programme.

Launch Night: Thursday, 8th October 2026 at 7pm
An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk @antainarts

Exhibition runs from 9th October – 7th November 2026, Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm by @mariamcs__photography

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20 days ago

Last Sunday, we were blessed with warm, bright sunshine at Priest’s Beach in Blackrock, Ireland, for a seaweed developer analogue photography workshop with @mariamcs__photography @creativesparkdundalk

Together with dear friends and colleagues, we spent the day collecting and identifying different kinds of seaweed — and I finally encountered carrageen growing in the wild.

We carefully gathered a small amount and sorted the brown algae to make our seaweed developer. We boiled it by the beach, cooled it in a natural spring we found nearby, then loaded it into the developing tank using a dark bag in our outdoor darkroom setup. Watching the film emerge felt a little like magic.

In parallel, we made lumen prints and fixed them with extra-salty seawater, which gave the prints unexpected shades of purple.

Back at @creativespark_printstudio, scanning the negatives, I loved seeing all the frames that captured the light, landscape, and little moments from that day.

Seaweed, sunlight, seawater, and photography — another way of learning from the materials already around us.

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The black & white photos in the post came out of my roll from that day ✨

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#SeaweedDeveloper #AnaloguePhotography #AlternativePhotography taken in Blackrock, Louth, Ireland by @mariamcs__photography

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a month ago

Join artist in residence Maria McSweeney for an afternoon exploring the history, culture and creative possibilities of seaweed in the Cooley Mountains.

Booking
Places are limited and booking is required. Please book your place in advance via Creative Spark website.

Meeting points
12.30pm – Creative Spark, Dundalk
Limited parking at Ravensdale Village, so if you’re travelling from Dundalk, meet at Creative Spark and carpool from there.

1pm – Old Post Office, Ravensdale Village
Google Maps – Old Post Office, Ravensdale Village

Need a lift?
Email Maria at MariaMcs112@gmail.com and we may be able to arrange a carpool from Creative Spark.

What to expect
We’ll walk part of the historic Cadger’s Pad, an 18th- and 19th-century trading route between Ravensdale and Omeath, hearing stories of Omeath’s seaweed industry and the traces it has left in the landscape, songs and archives.

Along the way, we’ll stop at Clock-amurth-na-garthee to create a collaborative artwork using linen dyed with bladderwrack and charred seaweed ink, responding to the landscape through writing, drawing and mark-making.

We’ll also experiment with preserving seaweed from the Omeath Wrack Rocks using glycerine. These specimens will become part of Maria’s new installation and sound artwork for Bailiú at An Táin Arts Centre.

Please note
The walk is strenuous and involves uphill walking. It is not suitable for people with mobility difficulties.

Please wear suitable footwear and clothing for walking outdoors and bring water and snacks, as there is no access to drinking water on the mountain.

Weather permitting
If conditions aren’t suitable for the outdoor walk, the event will move indoors to Creative Spark.

Come walk, listen, make and explore the stories held in the landscape. by @mariamcs__photography

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a month ago

We are delighted to welcome back @mariamcs__photography for our Alternative print ad photography weekend. She will be facilitating a one day eco darkroom on the Beach workshop. Places are limited.
#dcci #analoguephotography #sustainabledarkroom #irishseaweed by @mariamcs__photography

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2 months ago

We're delighted to welcome visual artist Maria McSweeney to Creative Spark for a research residency exploring the rich cultural, ecological, and historical significance of seaweed along the County Louth coastline.

Working with analogue photography and sustainable image-making processes, Maria's lens-based practice explores place, ecology, and underwater environments through research, documentation, and experimentation.

#ArtistResidency #CreativeSpark #MariaMcSweeney #CountyLouth #ContemporaryArt #AnaloguePhotography #SustainableArt #Ecology #IrishArt #CreativeResearch by @mariamcs__photography

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4 months ago

W(o)ar Open Studio Event for National Biodiversity Week

⏱️Saturday the 23rd of May, 12pm–5pm

📍Loughshinny Boathouse

There will be a walking tour hosted by Lorraine Bull @lorrainebull20 the Biodiversity officer for Fingal County Council, starting at 12pm on the day 🪸

I’m presenting a multidisciplinary body of work exploring the cultural history and speculative futures of seaweed in Fingal, referencing the 1800s seaweed wars and contemporary aquaculture.The project spans analogue 35mm and Super 8 film processed with seaweed, lumen printing, underwater photography, microscopic filming, and archival storytelling using seaweed ink, alongside 1800s heritage potato cultivation.

The work also includes collaborations with phycologist Dr Maeve Edwards, @irish_seaweed_consultancy, artist and ballad singer Paddy Critchley, @paddycritchleyart, sound composer Robert Coleman @robertjwcoleman and filmmaker Patrick Fleming @padalog ✨

Thanks again to @fingalartsoffice for supporting me while I was the Loughshinny Boathouse Studio Award Resident and in the creation of this work ❤️

📸Poster photograph: Kev O’Farrell taken in Loughshinny Beach by @mariamcs__photography

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5 months ago

W(o)ar Tracing

A local seaweed educational walking tour led by Dr. Maeve Edwards @irish_seaweed_consultancy followed by an ecological lumen printing workshop with myself as part of Dublin Climate Action Week.

Booking is required, there is a link in my bio.

⏱️Saturday 16th of May from 2.30pm-5.00pm
📍Loughshinny Boathouse, Loughshinny Beach

Thanks again to @fingalartsoffice for their continuous support though out my time as the Loughshinny Boathouse Studio Award Resident ✨ taken in Loughshinny Beach by @mariamcs__photography

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5 months ago

24th January seaweed workshop with @mariamcs__photography .

Join us for a day-long workshop at Blackrock Beach, where creativity, ecology, and analogue photography meet. This hands-on experience introduces participants to seaweed foraging and identification, culminating in collaborative lumen prints and the shooting and development of 35mm black-and-white film using seaweed-based, non-toxic developers in an en plein air darkroom.
More info and booking on our website
#analogphotography #sustainabledarkroom #botanical #brigid #stbrigid by @mariamcs__photography

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9 months ago

‘Lone Kelp Strand, Cassan Sound, Co. Donegal, July 2025’, by Maria McSweeney– shortlisted and now on show at the Waterford Gallery of Art as part of The Sea Around Us open-call and exhibition.

Marias lens-based art practice focuses on exploring place through the intricate process of deep mapping and documenting diverse landscapes. She is currently captivated by underwater aquatic spaces and overwater landscapes that hold unique ecologies and ecosystems. Her work seeks to traverse these often-underrepresented environments, with a particular interest in the dynamic rhythms and interactions within these ecosystems, encompassing flora, fauna, geology, and the impact of human activity. Using snorkelling and scuba diving as methods of exploration, She approaches these areas through an ecological, care based and hydrofeminist lens. She is currently producing a new body of coastal based environmental work as the Loughshinny Boathouse Studio Award recipient with Fingal County Council.

Maria received a BA degree in Sculpture and Combined Media from Limerick School of Art and Design in 2020 and a Level 9 Diploma in Art and Ecology from NCAD in 2025. She was awarded a place on the IMMA Perspectives - A Creative Encounter programme (2025). She was the recipient of the Arts Council Agility Award (2021 – 2024); Create’s Artist in the Community Scheme (AIC) Artist Mentoring Award (2023); the Exhibition Residency Award at the Leitrim Sculpture Centre (2023); a Super 8 motion film residency at The Darkroom, Dublin (2023); a second place Green Award, sponsored by An Taisce, at Trinity College Dublin’s Sustainable Sculpture Exhibition (2024). Other achievements include the Aran Island Underwater Photography Project (2024) and ‘Submerged Mythos’ an installation which featured at IMMA’s ‘Earth Rising’ (2024).

The Sea Around Us is open Tuesday- Saturday, 10am-5pm until 22 January 2026

Free entry.

Instagram – @mariamcs__photography taken in Waterford Gallery Of Art by @mariamcs__photography

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10 months ago

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a year ago

✨Images from India Installation ✨

A few photos of the installation of ‘Images from India’ last November at @clonakiltycommunityartscentre 🎨

A big thank you to @clonakiltycommunityartscentre for hosting a wonderful opening night, your assistance with the install and deinstall of my work, and for your support throughout ❤️

Another big thank you to my sister @clara_mcsweeney_art who curated my work for the gallery 🥰

This was a non profit exhibition with profits raised from the sale of this work going to @ashasociety in India for their work with the urban slums in New Delhi ✨Thanks again to everyone who donated, bought pieces and came to support on the opening night❤️ taken in Clonakilty Community Arts Centre by @mariamcs__photography

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2 years ago