Nathan Harper followed by Irene Murphy & Mick O'Shea

Nathan Harper

My work centers around the ancient Western esoteric concept of the egregore and its continued relevance in contemporary life. The egregore is a nonphysical entity that arises from a group with a shared focus or goal. This entity, however, is independent of its constituent participants and holds influence over them, producing a feedback loop relationship where the creation alters the creators, thus altering itself, all the while remaining detached. This kind of relationship describes many entities at the center of spiritual traditions, from gods, angels, and spirits. However, it also perfectly describes such modern entities as corporations, memes, and algorithms. These new entities have the potential to be wild and beautiful, such as the ones at the center of niche online subcultures, but they also have the potential to be harmful and exploited for mass manipulation in service to governments and techno-capitalist interests. In my work, I investigate these new egregores and recontextualize them through various processes and tools, including experimental animation, interactive virtual reality, sound, and online interventions, and dirt to reevaluate our post-Enlightenment assumptions about technology and ritual.

Irene Murphy & Mick O'Shea

Cork-based artists Irene Murphy and Mick O'Shea combine sculptural installations with sound and drawing performances for which they use improvisation, play and chance procedures. In 2003, they formed Domestic Godless with Stephen Brandes to pursue absurdist adventures in a culinary landscape. In 2010, they created Strange Attractor with sound artists Danny McCarthy, Anthony Kelly and David Stalling. Projects with both collectives have seen them touring Ireland and performing across Europe as well as in Tasmania, Japan and the USA. While in Paris they are recording sounds for future projects and finalising a Ulysses 100 commission for MoLI in Dublin.

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