ARTISTS | FUNDERS | FACILITATORS
Deirdre O’ Mahony | Artist
Deirdre O’Mahony studied at Saint Martins School of Art, London, the Crawford College of Art, Cork, and the University of Brighton, completing a PhD in Fine Art in 2012. Her art practice is informed by a deep interest in rural sustainability, farming, food security and the political ecology of rural places. Current and recent projects and exhibitions include FEEDER at the RHA Gallery, Dublin (2022), Sustainment Experiments (2021 – 2024, Ireland and Paris); The Plot 1, VISUAL Carlow (2021); The PLOT 11 Gangwon Triennale Korea(2021), Little did they know, EVA Biennale Guest Programme curated by Merve Elvern; Digestion Oppression for PhotoIreland2021 and POST_(2020) for Saolta Arts /Galway2020.
John Gerrard | Artist
John Gerrard (b. Tipperary. Ireland 1974) is widely regarded as a key figure in the development of simulation within contemporary art. Deceptively looking like film or video, his works are virtual worlds, made using real-time computer graphics, a technology developed by the military and now used extensively in the gaming industry. Recent exhibitions include Corn Work at Galway International Arts Festival, travelling to Gwangju Biennial.
X. laevis at Okayama Art Summit, Japan, Western Flag at Museo Thyssen Bornemisza, Madrid, Solar Reserve, LACMA, LA, USA, Western Flag, Somerset House with Channel 4, London, England, Power. Play, Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China, Infinite Freedom Exercise, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany, Solar Reserve, Lincoln Center in Association with the Public Art Fund, New York NY, Exercise, Borusan Contemporary, Istanbul, Turkey, Pulp Press (Kistefos), Kistefos Museet, Jevnaker, Norway, Exercise (Djibouti), Modern Art Oxford, Oxford, England.
Ailbhe Gerrard | Field Exchange Host | Farmer | Climate Ambassador | Farming for Nature Ambassador
Ailbhe Gerrard, farms on Brookfield.Farm, Tipperary. She is an educator with a deep interest in agriculture as a creative, holistic, regenerative, collaborative activity.
Ailbhe’s farmingresponsibilities include native woodland, broadleaf plantation, multispeciesleys, organically certified sheep, beehives producing honey, tillage andexperimental crops, agri-environment measures including, wild bird cover.
With an MSc in Organic Farming from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development from University College London.
Ailbhe was awarded a Nuffield Agricultural Scholar in 2016. Her research reports feature; urban agriculture, public goods delivered by farmers, adding value to farm produce, reaching customers directly. Ailbhe teaches agriculture at third level with Gurteen College and TUS. Ailbhe was the first winner of the RDS Sustainable Farming Awards in 2019. Also awarded Farming For Nature Ambassador 2019 and since 2021 an FFN judge and in 2022 a Climate Ambassador. Ailbhe is a member of Tipperary Food Producers, Tipperary Green Business Network, Irish Timber Growers Association, Limerick, Tipperary Woodland Owners, NOTS.
Creative Ireland in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications | Funders
The Creative Climate Action fund is an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme
in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications that supports creative, cultural and artistic projects that build awareness around climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural transformations.
The €2 million fund was launched on 31st March 2021 by Ministers Catherine Martin and Eamonn Ryan. It sought collaborative projects that could meaningfully connect people with profound changes happening in the environment, society and economy arising from climate change, using creative, cultural and artistic approaches to transform connection and awareness into climate action.
National Organic Training Skillnet (NOTS) | Exchange Facilitators
National Organic Training Skillnet (NOTS) are in operation since 2007, its remit is to produce and co-ordinate training and networking for the development of the organic food sector. The network has a membership of 4800 members, predominantly organic and conventional farmers and food producers. The network is a non-profit organization with a voluntary board including organic certification entities and Leitrim Organic Farmers Co Op.
In recent years the network has extended its remit in response to climate change issues with the development of additional training and networking in Regenerative and biological agriculture.
Loy Association of Ireland | Deirdre O’ Mahony Collaborators
The Loy Association of Ireland was founded in 1992 and continues to maintain and teach the skills of using a Loy with the aim to:
- Foster the tradition of using the loy to turn the sod.
- Let people know the sort of spade that was used before the introduction of the factory spade in 1750.
- Show young people and future generations how food was produced in the past.
- Hold competitions in Loy digging to demonstrate the skill involved in this ancient art.
- Popularise Loy digging across the 32 Counties of Ireland.
The Night Orchard | Food
The Night Orchard is a small social enterprise run by three families of five nationalities based in a small rural village in Co. Tipperary. Taking inspiration from their individual countries' best practices, the aim of The Night Orchard is to become a model enterprise for rural regeneration based on local environmental responsibility. And the development of economic resilience models and the empowerment of young people through non-formal learning. The company operates as a worker cooperative in a family environment, practising and promoting a homesteading and eco-centric lifestyle and believing in a whole systems approach for working and living.