In Conversation: Miriam O'Connor with Dr. Declan Jordan
This October, we are hosting three in-conversation lunchtime talks with artists featured in our current exhibition Groundwork: Climate Awareness in the UCC Art Collection. Each artist will explore their practice with an expert from University College Cork across themes of biodiversity, extraction and economics.
Expanding climate awareness through visual art encourages a greater account for stewardship of our damaged planet. Creative practice can be a location and moment of connection that transcends the everyday, offering the opportunity to think differently. Visual art, in this sense, allows us to consider the intricate relationships which impact the natural world and where and how we can situate ourselves in it.
Join artist Miriam O'Connor and Dr. Declan Jordan (Cork University business School) for a conversation that will explore art, economics, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. O'Connor's artworks Will you be an agent for change? (2023) and Small-scale studies for brighter futures (2023) feature in the current Glucksman exhibition Groundwork: Climate Awareness in the UCC Art Collection and they will serve as the starting point for this conversation.
Free admission. All welcome. Book here.
Each talk will be from 1-2pm and will allow time for questions and audience response.
Miriam O'Connor
Miriam O’Connor is from Cork and was educated at Technological University, Dublin and later completed a Research Masters at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design & Technology, Dublin (2011). In her practice she draws inspiration from the sights, sounds and language of everyday life. She is curious about the multifaceted roles photography occupies in culture and the manner in which this persuasive medium permeates the way we engage with the world around us. Rather than providing answers, O’ Connor positions photography as a tool for posing questions, a playful medium that commands its own attention and analysis. Using photographs, text and printed matter, her projects have explored themes around looking and seeing; the relationship between camera and subject and the complex nature of photographic representation. Following her relocation to the family farm in recent years, O’Connor now occupies a dual role of farmer and artist, where she is interested in engaging with the elasticity of the photographic medium through everyday agricultural life.
Dr Declan Jordan
Declan Jordan is Vice Dean for Graduate Studies and Senior Lecturer in Economics at Cork University Business School. He is a current research associate and former co-Director of the Spatial and Regional Economics Research Centre. He is also a member of the Centre for Sports Economics and Law. Declan's research interests include regional and urban economics, business innovation, regional development and competitiveness, sustainable mobility and climate action, and sports economics. He has published widely in these areas in international peer reviewed journals. He is a regular contributor on economic issues to national and international media, including newspaper, radio, and television outlets. Prior to joining UCC, Declan gained substantial management and corporate experience, as Manager, Consulting with the leading Irish treasury and financial consulting firm in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and as Treasury Manager with Intel Ireland. He lectures at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has taught on the Executive MBA programme and has supervised PhD students to completion. Declan has a PhD (Economics) from University College Cork. He graduated from University of Limerick in 1991 with an honours Bachelor of Business Studies degree. In 1993 he was awarded an honours Masters in Economic Science degree from University College Dublin.