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

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shane finan

Collaborating with fungi, sheep, humans, semiconductors, birds.

Assembling things into art including electronics, light, painting, timber and more.

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

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latest news

22nd October 2021

Exhibition Participation: Piksel 2021, Bergen, Norway (2021)

Two artworks have been selected for inclusion in the exhibition programme of the 19th Piksel Festival

in Bergen, Norway. The works are It Seemed Like We Were Moving Closer Together (2021) and Macalla (2021).

Two people interacting with an artwork made from standing fence posts connected to a computer monitor on a wall

18th October 2021

New Collaboration: Púca in the Machine, with Blessington Library, Wicklow

A new 3-person project has started as a collaboration with two other artists. This project is about the Poulaphuca Reservoir in Blessington, Wicklow. Collaborating with Alannah Robbins and Niamh Fahy this collaboration will lead to new work that will be presented as work in progress at Blessington Library in February 2022.

This project is supported by Wicklow Arts Office Strategic Project Awards 2022.

Updates will be posted here in the coming months.

a photograph of three tree stumps jutting out of a flooded lake at poulaphuca, ireland

6th October 2021

Festival Screening: 37th Agrofilm Festival, Nitra, Slovakia (2021)

The film Because the Exchange Is Complete is screening as part of the Agrofilm festival about food and agriculture.

Made as part of Project FIELD. The festival program is available at this link.

The logo of the Agrofilm Festival

6th October 2021

Documentary: Shane Finan, by We Love Media

A short documentary has been released online about the work produced during the VARC ENTWINED residency with Kielderhead Wildwood Project.

A photograph of a title from a video with the logo for the ENTWINED residency programme, and the name of artist shane finan

Still and video by Robin Fearnon, We Love Media

4th October 2021

Award: Culture Ireland

Culture Ireland have awarded funding to help with travel and transport of artworks to exhibitions in the UK, including exhibition of work at the Vane Gallery (Newcastle) and the Everyman Cinema Lincoln.

The logo of Culture Ireland, a national body for granting awards for exhibiting Irish art outside of Ireland. The logo is a pink coloured abstract image with the name of the organisation.

1st October 2021

Exhibition open: FIELDS, Museum of English Rural Life, Reading, UK (2021)

Work is included in the exhibition FIELDS currently on show at the Museum of English Rural Life, Reading UK until January 31st 2022.

An image of a busy museum space with drawings, photographs and a cosy layout with chairs for people to sit and read

Photograph courtesy FIELD project

24th September 2021

New artwork documentation: Arguably, they have farmed us particularly well (2021)

A 1.5-minute video documenting the interactive artwork Arguably, they have farmed us particularly well, 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 #3 from the exhibition Detached Touch (2021)

20th September 2021

Festival Screening: Tāctus: 17th Athens Digital Arts Festival (2021)

A 5-minute short about being-with, learning-from and becoming sheep through experiencing shared vulnerability is screening at Tāctus, the 17th Athens Digital Arts Festival.

Made as part of Project FIELD. View online at the festival's website at this link.

The logo of the Athens Digital Arts Festival with laurel for acceptance

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 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 Everyman Cinema, 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 immersive 6-screen 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

latest exhibitions

FIELDS

october 1st 2021 - january 31st 2022 Museum of English Rural Life (MERL), Reading, England

Drawings and stories included in work on show at the Museum of English Rural Life. Three artists are exhibiting, including Michele Allen and Mark Richard Jones.

Other work on show includes academic writing, fieldwork and other public engagement pieces from the 6-university interdisciplinary research project FIELD.

Photograph courtesy FIELD project

an image of some newspapers and prints on a table-top in a busy museum space

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 Everyman Cinema, 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