STEAM Award  

The STEAM Award is selected and presented annually by MTU Arts Office at the MTU Crawford College of Art & Design graduate Showcase exhibitions, celebrating innovative art and design work that connects to the STEAM concept. This might include works and projects that investigate or utilise methods or materials common to another discipline, or that explore new connections and interactions. 

 

About Exhibiting Artists

 

ARTIST DETAILS: 

2024 AWARD WINNERS:  

James Clancy (Fine Art),  

Maureen Clarke (Contemporary Applied Art),  

Declan Fegan (Fine Art),  

Zara Foley (Fine Art),  

Rachael Sharkey (Photography with New Media),  

Aaron Kidney (Creative Digital Media),  

Holly Halligan (Fine Art),  

Leslie Allen Spillane (Fine Art),  

Catherine Casey (Creative Digital Media),  

Patryck Koc (Creative Digital Media),  

Adam Nugent (Creative Digital Media). 

 

James Clancy  BA Hons Fine Art 

Artist Statement 

     

My work engages with the emerging Symbiocene era. Glenn Albrecht, an environmental philosopher, proposed the term ‘Symbiocene’ to oppose the harmful “Anthropocene”. Where the Anthropocene focuses on visions of the planet's apocalypse and the current climate emergency, the Symbiocene emphasises hope and symbiotic relationships and its possibilities if we shift our viewpoint. In my work I reflect that in my use of mixed media, casting, and mono print to create an installation that features textures, imagery and reflections of bacteria and fungi which represents their own mutual and beneficial connection to the planet. In collaboration with the Department of Biological Sciences (MTU), I collected soil samples from my home in East Cork and grew my own cultures in agar. Organic patterns and foraging for objects inspire my art and lead me to gain a deeper relationship between the hidden side of nature. 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/james-patrick-clancy 

 

Maureen Clarke  BA Hons Contemporary Applied Art 

Artist Statement  

“Time could happen without rocks, but not the other way around. However, time vanishes, while rocks persist.” 

My research aspires to interpret marks from nature, formed, created and built up over time, mimicking the balance between nature and time. 

Erosion marks on the rock’s surface and within, inform the drawings I create, by balancing marks made by hand and by laser. Hand drawn marks etched by a laser marking system, on shoji paper, much like nature’s marks on the rock’s surface.  

Through the mediums of photography, drawing and screen-print, I aim to map time. Each rock has a story to tell. To suggest the layers of time trapped within rocks, I examine the layering of imagery in kiln cast glass and explore colour, opacity, pattern and transparency of image.   

Instagram maureen_clark9628 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/maureen-clarke  

 

Declan Fegan ​  BA Hons Fine Art 

Artist Statement 

Throughout my work I primarily use oil and acrylic paint on canvas, implementing both traditional styles of painting along with contemporary elements associated with digitally generated textures. 
Visually inspired by Surrealist and postmodern artwork, my paintings act as visual context corresponding with Guy Debord’s book titled ‘Society of the Spectacle’. Debord’s book critiques the demanding requirements of capitalism that compels us to displace our lived experiences with images and media representations, escaping to a simulation-like reality. The environments featured in my paintings depict scenes where the ‘Spectacle’ is opposed and challenged according to Debord, e.g. occasions of community interaction, natural landscapes, and historic areas symbolic of socialist revolution. 
I visualise this absence and the breakdown of the simulation-like reality through the incorporation of digital aesthetics, particularly the appearances of glitches commonly seen in corrupted software, such as poorly rendered textures, physics distortion, and the transparency of solid matter. 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/declan-fegan  

 

Zara Foley  BA Hons Fine Art 

Artist Statement 

In my practice I aim to create both large- and small-scale pieces using a range of mediums, predominantly techniques such as screen-print, cyanotype, etching and painting. Through an urban / street-style look, my work revolves primarily around the exploration of personal experiences and the impact our surroundings can exert on our bodies.  

At the core of my work lies a deeply personal narrative. My untimely retirement from football at the age of 21 due to injury, which left an incredible and still, raw emotional wound within me. With injury serving as my central theme, I use collage components in my artwork, utilizing each of the different mediums I use. These collage elements represent the reconstruction that our bodies go through after an injury, whether it be with metal implants or stitches. Inspired by the idea of my body as a contemporary Frankenstein, my work reflects these transformative features. 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/zara-foley 

 

Holly Halligan  BA Hons Fine Art 

Artist Statement 

My work is conceptually engaged with elements of sound and sensory experience, concerning the bodily experience of sound. Using a phenomenological approach my work explores cultures of sound utilising multidisciplinary modes of making. The sound made and resonance of materials is important, as well as its ability to manipulate and create organic sound. I work predominantly in sculpture, mould making and textiles. 

I have been experimenting with sound carrying motifs in my work, notably echoes and methods of trapping air through working with convex shapes in sculpture. Textile work has been another method of working with sound as an element of dulling and softening noise with fibre materials. Scale is an important element of my work as it invites feelings in the body to encounter a large-scale object in a space. 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/holly-halligan 

  

Rachael Sharkey  BA Hons Photography with New Media 

Artist Statement  

This 12 minute Irish language documentary tells the story of Jimmie Jennie Ó Dubhcháin from Oileán Thoraigh, Co. Donegal. Jimmie was born and raised on Tory Island, 9 miles from the mainland, during a time where farming and fishing were means of survival on Ireland’s most isolated inhabited island. 

Jimmie lost his eyesight later in life during the 90s when he was in his 40s. This life changing adjustment led him back to his home on Tory Island, after a life of working as a carpenter with his two brothers in their family business. Jimmie is my grand uncle and has always been a part of my life. It was inspirational growing up with someone who has such strength and positivity. 

Tory Island is such a special place to me. When making this project, it was important to me that I showed how special Tory is. Jimmie has a wonderful community behind him on the island, who are with him in every aspect of this film. This film is dedicated to Jimmie Jennie and the community of Oileán Thoraigh. 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/rachael-sharkey  

 

Leslie Allen Spillane   BA Hons Fine Art 

Artist Statement 

My work investigates the challenges and failures of portraiture in photography and the relationship between subject and artist. In this series of images I am exploring the emotional, mental and physical states of my subject by using the Motherwort plant to symbolise ideas of illness, healing, grief and intimacy.  Working with the same subject over several months, I see the resulting images as a collaboration between the photographer, subject, and the plant material that allows the imagery to grow and develop. 

I use a combination of analogue photography and printmaking. I am making my analogue photographic practice more sustainable by using my own plant-based chemicals to develop and handprint my photographs. Each plant contains its own unique properties that affects the development of the photographs, offering a visual language of the seasonal cycles of hibernation and growth. 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/leslie-allen-spillane 

 

Aaron Kidney BA Hons Creative Digital Media 

   

I graduated from the Creative Digital Media course in 2024. From an early age I have been exposed to all manner of engineering and design, thanks to both my father’s job as a mechanic, as well as the support products I had to use due to my Poland’s Syndrome resulting in the stunted growth of my right hand. My condition did not prevent me from participating in all manner of creative hobbies from painting, drawing, woodwork, music, metalwork, animation and game development. It became clear that I had an immense passion for creation, and I wanted to put those talents to use when it came to addressing issues relating to designs that exclude those with physical difficulties. 

For my Final Year Project, I chose to combine the many skills I had acquired over the course of my studies to develop a device to assist me with playing the strings of the guitar with my stunted arm. Prior to this, I had relied wholly on digital audio workstations to produce music and I wanted the experience of playing an instrument live in spite of my disability. 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/aaron-kidney 

Group Project: Catherine Casey, Patryck Koc, Adam Nugent – “Cork City Time Machine” 

 

Catherine Casey BA Hons Creative Digital Media 

     

Hi, my name is Catherine Casey. I am a recent graduate of BA Honours in Creative Digital Media, MTU. As an artist I seek to create immersive human experiences which focus on promoting arts in the community and public spaces. 

Throughout my studies I have honed my skills in projection mapping and interactivity by utilising TouchDesigner, Python Scripting, Tangible Arduino Technology, 3D Modelling and Storytelling. 

For my final year project, I experimented with different technologies by working as part of a team to create unique and engaging experiences for users and audiences. 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/catherine-casey 

 

Patryk Koć ,BA Hons Creative Digital Media 

     

Hello! I’m Patryk Koć and I am a recent graduate of the Creative Digital Media course. I have always had a passion for traditional art which eventually developed into my interest in graphic design and 3D modelling. 

I also have a passion for photography and love sharing my work with the world. Through my photography I try to capture the life around me and tell stories of the moments that I have captured. 

For my Final Year Multimedia Project, I have collaborated with Adam Nugent and Catherine Casey to create a tangible interface based interactive museum experience which uses projection to tell stories of old Cork. 

https://crawfordshowcase.mtu.ie/artist/patryk-koc  

 

Adam Nugent   BA Hons Creative Digital Media 

     

Hi, my name is Adam Nugent, and I am a digital media professional who has particular interests in User Experience Design, UV Projection Mapping, and Web Design. Throughout my work, I aim to create immersive experiences for users to interact with, with my main motivation being to produce designs of high quality that incorporate a variety of creative media. 

My final year project is 'The Cork City Time Machine,' an immersive abstract experience merging UV projection mapping and physical laser-cut models of Cork City's iconic buildings. Each building offers a unique story-scape for user interaction, fostering community engagement through interactive technology.