Saidhbhín Gibson

Beer and tea instead of milk

Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge | 2024

A solo exhibition featuring groupings of elements which are interconnected with themselves and with the viewer.

The shrinking habitats of, and the apathy towards, the more-than-human could be defined as the second wave of colonialism in Ireland. The distance between human and “nature” expands leaving crumbs of chance encounters with wildlife.

The range of materials used in Beer and tea instead of milk create scenarios relating to the more-than-human while highlighting society’s hierarchical response to shared land use and the climate crisis. Some pieces of work are anthropomorphised with an assumed voice, while others encourage paying closer attention to the raw materials. 

Rather than our relegation of bird, insect, wildflower, mammal, fish, tree life to scant corners to exist, the artworks propose a balanced relationship and social distancing in terms of shared habitats.

The title of the exhibition references a passage in Nan Shepherd’s book ‘The Living Mountain’ where she celebrates the listening and the being in the landscape.