Artist’s Talk

2pm, Friday 16th May – Hannah Papacek Harper &  Catherine McDonald

Graduated in Aesthetics and Cinema Practice, from the universities of La Sorbonne Pantheon, and La Universidad de Lima, in 2015, Hannah Papacek Harper is now a writer, director and multimedia artist. Based in Scotland, she is developing several projects on the subject of ecology, intertwining science with art. Her research is otherwise geared toward displacement, identity and transgeneration memory. Profoundly interested in communication, transmission and sensorial approaches to film, she continually searches for new empathetic ways to touch a general public. Her roots are in experimental video and from 2021 to 2023, two of her experimental short films, Just Listen To The Storm and Vegetative, travelled festivals worldwide. Lost For Words is her documentary feature debut which premiered at CPH:DOX in March of 2025.

Catherine McDonald is a visual artist currently based in county Wexford. Her work integrates sculpture, film, sound and light to create immersive installations which probe the relationship between the Earth and the human imagination.

Her practice is rooted in ecological thinking and an understanding of the world as an interconnected network of systems. It recognises the complex web of relations between all living things and seeks to dismiss hierarchical thought. With each new project, she focuses on microscopic details of specific environments and uses them as metaphors for understanding our place in the global ecosystem.

Catherine primarily uses natural and reclaimed materials, often foraged from her local landscape. Her current project is an audiovisual exploration of salt as a marker of environmental change. It traces shifting ocean salinity and currents, from the Arctic to marine ecosystems around the world, highlighting salt’s role in climate and ecological dynamics.

She holds an MFA in Art and Ecology from the Burren College of Art and a BA in Fine Art from TU Dublin. Most recently, her work has been exhibited with AKuT (Switzerland), IMMA, Kilkenny Arts Office, glór Arts Centre, Laneway Gallery, and 126 Gallery.

Catherine’s residency is in association with Burren College of Art.