Can there be a detached touch?

touch technologies

as more than human assemblages

could be remaking what touching means.

María Puig de la Bellacasa, Matters of Care: Speculative Ethics in More Than Human Worlds, 2017, p99 (first line), p104

enter shanefinan.org

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shane finan

BA in Fine Art from IT Sligo 2008

MSc in Interactive Digital Media from Trinity College Dublin 2013

Certificate in High Impact Leadership, Irish Management Institute 2018

Certificate in Irish language, bonnleibhéal, TEG, University of Maynooth

Interactive digital media artist and project manager based in Ireland.

Project management experience include: European Manager, Gstaadfilm International Festival for Short Art Films (Switzerland, including tours to Ireland, UK, Uruguay, Brazil and Germany; 2014-date), Project Manager Projects: Slándáil (European Union FP7), FÍOSÍN (Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund) and Éadáil (Atlantic Bridge Proof of Principle Fund), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland, 2014-19).

Artworks explore contemporary theory on technology, place and more-than-human relationships.

Proud to be a member of Visual Artists Ireland, the representative body for artists in Ireland, and a constant source of support and information.

visual artists ireland membership badge

Supporter of federated, free and open source software:

logo of peertube, open source video sharing platform

Other social media:

Signatory of Culture Declares Emergency:

latest news

11th September 2021

Intervention: FIELDS, Beverley, Market, York

Went on-site to Beverley Market with the FIELDS team as part of the public engagement for Project FIELD.

a photograph of people at a market stall with giant cutouts of cows and sheep, and some flyers and photographic material on a table

10th September 2021

Conference Presentation: Beastly Landscapes, Newcastle University

A new film will be shown documenting the experience of being-with sheep with lameness while working on the project FIELD. The film, Because the Exchange is Complete, will be presented as a provocation and presentation at the Beastly Landscapes Symposium, Newcastle University on Friday, September 10th, 2021.

A screenshot of the poster and the programme with speakers for the Beastly Landscapes Symposium at Newcastle University, with many dates and speakers

4th September 2021

Exhibition Launch: ENTWINED: Rural Land Lives Art (2021)

Visual Arts in Rural Communities (VARC) have launched the first exhibition to mark the end of the ENTWINED residency programme. This programme included the work made for the project The Wood Wide Web in collaboration with Kielderhead Wildwood Project, Northumberland Wildlife Trust.

The exhibition launched to an audience of around 250 people, with six residents, two associate artists and three VARC artists all exhibiting in a dynamic programme at Highgreen Manor on Saturday, September 4th.

The logo of the ENTWINED programme with the dates of exhibition written on it (September 4th to 12th 2021)

2nd September 2021

Series of events: FIELDS (2021)

Work is currently on tour as part of the exhibition programme of FIELDS, the public outreach programme of the FIELD project.

The programme is touring to six markets in England, and includes an exhibition at the Museum of English Rural Life and three cinema screenings at Hexham Forum Cinema, Star and Shadow Cinema Newcastle and Kinema in the Woods Lincoln.

A drawing in charcoal of a sheep kneeling on its front two legs with its head held up in the air

27th August 2021

New artwork documentation: Offering (2021)

A 1.5-minute video documenting the interactive artwork Offering, which was created on residency at Leitrim Sculpture Centre (June-August 2021) and was first exhibited with a solo exhibition there in August 2021.

Artwork #2 from the exhibition Detached Touch (2021)

25th August 2021

New artwork documentation: it seemed like we were moving closer together (2021)

A 1.5-minute video documenting the interactive artwork it seemed like we were moving closer together, which was created on residency at Leitrim Sculpture Centre (June-August 2021) and was first exhibited with a solo exhibition there in August 2021.

Artwork #1 from the exhibition Detached Touch (2021)

13th August 2021

Solo Exhibition: Detached Touch

Three new interactive and technology led artworks about contact, technology and more-than-human connections. The exhibition will run until September 4th 2021.

More information at this link.

A photograph of a wall with a decal vinyl showing the name Shane finan with the dates of exhibition and the title detached touch in italics

11th August 2021

New artworks: Leitrim Sculpture Centre (2021)

Three new artworks have been completed while on residency at Leitrim Sculpture Centre, using contactless RFID technology, interactive trackball technology and 6-screen video controlled by Raspberry Pis. These three works make up the exhibition detached touch launching 13th August at the centre.

Photograph by Tadhg Ó Cuirrín

A photograph of several people engaging with an interactive art installation made from fence posts and RFID cards and readers, with a video display on a wall. a child is excitedly using one of the RFID readers on the fence posts

10th August 2021

Interview: Getting Visual Art, The Sligo Champion (2021)

An interview with journalist Robbie Brennan about upcoming exhibition in Leitrim Sculpture Centre, and how I create art with nature and technology.

Read Online.

Photograph by Donal Lally.

A photograph of artist shane finan in his studio, surrounded by timber, tools and electronics

4th August 2021

New programme: FIELDS (2021)

A new programme of in-person and online public outreach using the work of artists and academics that were resident with the FIELD project in 2020-2021. This includes a programme of cinema screenings and market events later in 2021, and online stories and interactive artworks.

A photograph of a sheep in black and white looking at the camera

29th June 2021

New artwork documentation: The Power of Inconspicuous Things (2021)

A 2-minute video documenting the interactive artwork The Power of Inconspicuous Things, which debuted in April 2021 at VARC, UK, and will form part of the touring exhibition from the programme ENTWINED.Rural.Land.Lives.Art. in 2021 and 2022 in north England.

Artwork #3 from the project The Wood Wide Web (2020-)

22nd June 2021

Exhibition Residency: Leitrim Sculpture Centre

A 2-month residency working with more-than-human entanglements, technology, agriculture and forests began at the Leitrim Sculpture Centre on 22nd June 2021, and will conclude with a solo exhibition in August 2021.

A photograph of the outside of the exhibtion space for the Leitrim Sculpture Centre, a long white industrial space with light blue doors and window frames

4th June 2021

New Artwork: Macalla

A tryptich of web-art pieces about trees, tubes and humans presented online.

Available to view at this link.

A screenshot of a web page with a series of circular photographs. The background is black, and each photograph is looking down into a green tube at a young tree growing. They overlap, and look a little like eyes or tadpoles all clustered together.

29th May 2021

Publication: The Wood Wide Web

The UK-based artist resource Curatorspace invited a write up about what it was like to spend a month making art with fledgling trees in Northumberland.

The relationships aren't simple, and human language is not well equipped to describe them. So I am gradually trying to strip away language and focus instead on visual and interactivity.

post citation, 2021

Available online at this link.

A photogaph of an interactive art installation usign lights, video and painting about tree planting, fungi and relationships between human and nonhuman actors

28th May 2021

Workshop documentation: Kielder School

VARC have shared some documentation from a workshop with Kielder school while resident in April 2021. Children were taught about trees and fungi, and then were invited to make small electronic hyphae using lights, Arduino boards and fibre optic cables.

A photogaph of five children working with an Arduno board and some electronics, wearing a red uniform

5th May 2021

Publication: The Master's Device

A publication in the Visual Artists Ireland News-sheet about open source media and the potential for technological critique by artists.

Artists … are known for challenging hegemonies, exploring environmental issues, … or voicing ethical concerns within their work. So, there is an unfortunate contradiction in using ethically, environmentally or socially unsound tools.

post citation, 2021

Available online from June 2021 at this link.

A photogaph of an article printed in Visual Artists Ireland News Sheet May 2021 names The Masters Device

latest exhibitions

17th Athens Digital Arts Festival

september 20th - october 31st 2021 tāctus, Historic Center of Athens, Greece

The film Because the Exchange is Complete will screen at the 17th Athens Digital Arts Festival 2021 edition, which is a blended online and in-person event.

a video still of the title of the film Because The Exchange Is Complete, in pink text on a black background

FIELDS Farming on Film

september 28th, october 21st and november 18th 2021 FIELDS, various locations, England

The film Because the Exchange is Complete will screen at the Hexham Forum Cinema, Hexham (28 Sept), the Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle (21 Oct) and the Kinema in the Woods, Lincoln (18 Nov) as part of the FIELDS public outreach programme of FIELD, following a 6-month research residency.

a video still of a sheep face looking at the camera, inside a blue triangle that fits around the head neatly

ENTWINED

september 4th-13th 2021 Visual Arts in Rural Communities (VARC), Highgreen, Northumberland, UK

The two year, multi-partner ENTWINED:Rural.Land.Lives.Art. programme exhibits works by six resident artists curated by Cynthia Morisson Bell (artcircuit)

a photograph of an interactive artwork. The artwork is in the form of a large box, like a table. This photograph shows a long exposure of people moving lights, so light trails are visible in the image. the trails are coming from white tubes held by participants/audience

detached touch

august 13th-september 4th 2021 Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Manorhamilton, Ireland

Solo exhibition presenting three new interactive and technology-led installations about technology, contact, and more-than-human connections

a photograph of four people standing in front of a large 6-screen video artwork in the shape of a hexagon

FIELDS Markets

august 8th - october 16th 2021 FIELDS, various locations, England

Works about animal and human connections involving lameness and vulnerability presented as part of the public engagement programme of FIELD, following a 6-month research residency.

Sunday 8 August: Nuns Moor Park Bike Garden mini-market
Nuns Moor Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5NU
10am - 2pm

Saturday 28 August: Louth Market
Cornmarket, Louth, LN11 9PD
9am - 4pm

Saturday 11 September: Beverley Market
Market Pl, Beverley, HU17 8EA
8am - 4pm

Saturday 25 September: Hexham Farmers Market
Market Pl, Hexham, NE46 1XQ
9am - 1pm

Saturday 16 October: Grainger Market
Grainger St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5QQ
9am - 4pm

a photograph of three people at a market stall with giant cutouts of cows and sheep, and some flyers and photographic material on a table

open studio

april 26th 2021 VARC, Highgreen, Northumberland UK

VARC artists in residence Catriona Gallagher and Shane Finan showing work from the adventurous three-year programme ENTWINED. Rural. Land. Lives. Art. Shane will stage a new interactive performative installation.

a photograph of an interactive artwork. The artwork is in the form of a large box, like a table. This close-up shot only shows some of the left side and the top of the box, and also an opening into the underneath/inside where the side facing us should be. The left side is an abstract painting with mostly dark colours. The top has two tubes placed in it. The underneath shows a series of bluish pipes of light that seem to emanate from the tubes above.

as tree

october 2020 online (due to take place in St. George's Hall, Tubbercurry, Sligo)

Curated online exhibition (postponed offline exhibition) as tree, due to take place in Tubbercurry in 2021

an image of interactive installation with strings of lights attached to wooden structures

over nature vi

september 26th-november 21st 2020 Luan Gallery, Athlone, Co. Westmeath (IE) - unfortunately closed early due to covid-19 lockdown restrictions

The sixth and final stage of the ongoing group exhibition Over Nature curated by Valeria Ceregini. Image of gallery courtesy of Wikimedia.

Wikimedia image of the Luan Gallery, Athlone

over nature v

august 7th-september 5th 2020 Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon, Co. Clare (IE)

Part of the ongoing group exhibition Over Nature curated by Valeria Ceregini.

Photograph below credit: Mary O'Connor, artist.

Photograph of the front door of the Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon, during the exhibition Over Nature

in áit

june 24th-26th 2020, Lockstown, Wicklow (IE)

An exhibition of restricted paintings presented to neighbours and friends living in a close locale to celebrate the end of the COVID-19 restrictions

Paintings installed for the in ait exhibition in Valleymount, Wicklow, 2020

COVID-19 update

Postponements/cancellations

Exhibitions and events up to August 2020 are currently postponed or cancelled in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Any update will be posted here. Please stay home, stay safe.

over nature iv

february 6th-march 7th 2020 Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny (IE)

Part of the ongoing group exhibition Over Nature curated by Valeria Ceregini.

Image below courtesy of Sammon chartered surveyors.

Photograph of the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny

over nature iii

november 14th-December 21st 2019 Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin (IE)

Part of the ongoing group exhibition Over Nature curated by Valeria Ceregini.

the dining room of rathfarnham castle, site of shane finan's artwork in the dublin leg of this exhibition

over nature ii

october 2019 Sample-Studios, Cork (IE)

Part of the ongoing group exhibition Over Nature curated by Valeria Ceregini.

shane finan at the opening for over nature in cork, standing with one of his paintings

over nature i

september 2019 Roe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre, Limavady (UK)

Part of the ongoing group exhibition Over Nature curated by Valeria Ceregini.

shane finan at the opening for over nature in cork, standing with one of his paintings