MIDDEN collective are Sarah Edmondson, Mary Martin and Niamh McGuinne. Collaborations so far have focussed on the interpretation of evidence; of decidedly unscientific work made in response to lunar and lunisolar calendars; a critique of geo/human-centric time, measurements, and purported experiences; a pseudoscientific exploration into humans’ interactions with the moon and an appraisal of lunar myths and missions, combining fact with fiction to create new narratives.
Sarah Edmondson is an interdisciplinary artist, museum and gallery educator, lecturer at NCAD, and studio member at MART, Dublin. Her work is informed by her dual role as an artist and art educator, critically analysing her supposed position of expert power in different contexts and communities. She is interested in the evolution of knowledge and the role iconic images from the history of art and the media have on our understanding of interpersonal relationships and the natural world; using a variety of mediums to playfully challenge anthropocentric views. To date, she has successfully created staged photographs in response to archival ephemera, pseudoscientific zines, moving images and video installations. The writings of Donna Haraway, Sophia Al-Maria and Hito Steyerl inform her practice. Edmondson is also part of the collective MIDDEN alongside Mary Martin and Niamh McGuinne. Recent exhibitions included; MIDDEN, Luan Gallery, Athlone; Through Light and Shade, Alalimón Galeria, Barcelona; and Gormworm, TaKt, Berlin. In 2023 she completed a residency at IMMA with the Museum of Everyone’s Communal project and is a MOE Associate Artist.
Mary Martin is an Irish visual artist and a 2021 Fine Art Graduate of Brighton School of Art. Through paint and collage, Martin constructs an alternate reality; a heterotopia. Her playful approach to language and interpretation together with her vibrant and surreal compositions belie a serious reflection on the Anthropocene where she presents a future evolutionary state where it is unclear if humanity still exists. While Martin’s paintings appear playful and theatrical, their serious undertones address the growing disconnection between hyper capitalist society and the natural and liminal worlds. Recent shows ALLTAR, in Takt Gallery, Berlin (2023), The Ladder Is Always There, Draíocht, Blanchardstown (2023), Deorad, Herman’s Auctioneers (2023) and TOOTH, DIVA Gallery, Dublin, alongside a 3 month residency in Berlin, reflect an exciting emerging artist with her finger on the pulse of a reality crisis.