Get Together 2025 | Cafe Chats
Morning Session – 9:30am to 1pm
9:30 am to 10:20am Jessica Martin: Why I Paint with Mud
10:20 to 11:10am Shane Finan: Grassroots Technology
[Coffee Break – 11:15am to 11:45am]
12 noon – 12:50pm Lian Bell: Surface Travel Discussion Group
Afternoon Session – 3pm to 5:30pm
3pm – 3:50pm Sally O’Dowd: Charcoal Making with Ash Dieback
3:50pm – 4:40pm Caitriona Dunnett: Non-Chemical Photographic Processes
4:40pm – 5:30pm Renata Pękowska: Multi-sensory Workshop
Lian Bell: Surface Travel
Lian Bell is an artist working across disciplines who has a background in scenography, visual art, and social activism. Over the last three years, Lian has been surface travelling for work in Europe; mainly involving long train and ferry journeys. Travelling without flying is often dubbed ‘slow travel’. Wrapped up in the choice to travel this way are ethical considerations of ecology, hospitality, locality, privilege, and pace. Increasingly, there are uncomfortable structure-stretching conversations to be had with organisations and funders. Lian is interested in sharing her experiences, and talking with others who are already surface travelling, or curious about how they might.
Caitriona Dunnett: Non-Chemical Photographic Processes
Caitriona Dunnett’s practice explores memory, specifically looking at land, heritage and nature through alternative photographic processes. This includes the cyanotype – an early non-toxic photographic printing process – and working with camera-less photographic techniques, such as lumen prints to record the interaction between plants, surface, and light. Caitriona studied at IADT, has a BA Hons from Nottingham Trent University and an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design, USA. Her work has been widely exhibited in Ireland and the UK, and PhotoIreland and Parthian Books have published her work.
Shane Finan: Grassroots Technology
Shane Finan is an artist who assembles artworks and collaborative projects using interactive contemporary technologies, found objects, and traditional media. Their work is research based and explores the impact of technologies on human and nonhuman actors in rural places. They hold an Master’s in Interactive Digital Media (Trinity College Dublin, 2013) and a BA in Fine Art (Sligo IT, 2008). Their work on critical technologies has been presented at Art Meets Radical Openness (Linz, Austria, 2022), Piksel (Bergen, Norway, 2021), Leitrim Sculpture Centre (2021, 2025), Artlink Fort Dunree (2022-23) and the University of Performing Arts and Music(Graz, Austria, 2022).
Jessica Martin: Why I Paint with Mud
The Dirty Painter is the moniker for Northern Irish artist Jessica Martin, who creates art using mud and water as her primary mediums. Her work is rooted in a sustainable approach, minimising environmental impact and drawing inspiration from the natural world. The artist believes that her paintings act as ‘quiet activism’, demonstrating that there are alternatives available. By reducing the chemicals, toxins and plastics in her own practice, she hopes to encourage others to do the same. The artist is a studio holder at Boom Studios, Bangor, and is a member of Green Arts NI, Belfast Visual Arts Forum, VAI, and Greenpeace Belfast.
@thedirtypainter
Sally O’Dowd: Charcoal Making with Ash Dieback
Sally O’Dowd is a visual artist and curator working across performance and drawing to explore identity, female ritual, and women’s roles in contemporary Irish society. Her socially engaged, site-responsive practice uses drawing as both process and live documentation. Recent projects include Border Biennale 2025, ‘Beuys 50 Years Later’ at the Ulster Museum, and Breastival. Her work has been acquired by Historic Royal Palaces and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. A founding member of Townhall Arts Centre and Vault Artist Studios, she also curates exhibitions and leads workshops with institutions like Ulster Museum and NI Mental Health Arts Festival.
Renata Pękowska: Multi-sensory Workshop
Renata Pękowska is a visual artist and researcher based in Dublin, who is currently a Research Ireland Scholar PhD candidate at TU Dublin. Her background includes architectural studies, BDes in craft design (NCAD), MA in critical theories of contemporary art and curating (NCAD), and MA in user experience design (TU Dublin). She is also a trained shadow puppeteer. Renata’s research interests cover a wide range of visual culture related topics, including book arts, light installations, audiovisual performance, and traditional crafts. Her current research interrogates expanded multimodal workshop formats and locates them in the digital context as sites of attention and care.