To celebrate both Dublin Climate Action Week and Biodiversity Week, Fingal County Council will be hosting a series of upcoming events with Artist Maria McSweeney, recipient of the Loughshinny Boathouse Studio Award from Fingal Arts Office in 2025.

Maria McSweeney completed the Professional Diploma in Art and Ecology from Creative Futures Academy at NCAD in 2025.  Her lens-based art practice focuses on exploring place through the intricate process of deep mapping and documenting diverse landscapes.

As part of Dublin Climate Action Week on Saturday the 16th May, Artist Maria McSweeney will host a  local seaweed educational walking tour led by Dr. Maeve Edwards (Irish Seaweed Consultancy), followed by an ecological lumen printing workshop. All are very welcome to join this event but booking is required via the link below.

An open studio hosted by artist Maria McSweeney will take place on Saturday the 23rd of May from 12pm–5pm at the Loughshinny Boathouse. Maria will be presenting a a multidisciplinary body of work exploring the cultural history and speculative futures of seaweed in Fingal, referencing the 1800s seaweed wars and contemporary aquaculture.

The project spans analogue 35mm and Super 8 film processed with seaweed, lumen printing, underwater photography, microscopic filming, and archival storytelling using seaweed ink, alongside 1800s heritage potato cultivation. The work also includes collaborations with phycologist Dr Maeve Edwards, artist and ballad singer Paddy Critchley, and sound composer Robert Coleman.