Nature Squared Workshops with Cheeverstown House and St Mac Dara's Community College
Artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly have begun a programme of community engagement as part of their Nature Squared public art project, a multi-strand initiative exploring freshwater biodiversity
along the River Dodder through a combination of science and creative
activity.
As part of the initial phase, the artists delivered two days of workshops with groups from Cheeverstown House and Transition Year students from St Mac Dara’s Community College. The sessions took place in Dodder Valley Park, where participants engaged directly with the
natural environment through a series of hands-on activities.
Working in small groups, participants explored local biodiversity by recording plant species within defined areas, using
a simple wooden frame to capture and study plant diversity. The workshops also included drawing, photography and print-making, using coloured inks and plant materials collected on site to produce creative responses to the landscape.
Participants also began developing “herbarium art”, using natural materials
gathered during the sessions to create artworks inspired by the biodiversity of the area. The process encouraged close observation of plant life while supporting creative expression and environmental
awareness.
The project will continue throughout the summer, with further activities planned along the River Dodder. The work will culminate in a Science Week exhibition later in the year, bringing together the outcomes of both the artistic and scientific elements of the project.
Nature Squared has been commissioned as part of IN CONTEXT 5, the Public Art Programme, funded through the Per Cent for Art Scheme.