the middle of nowhere
transdisciplinary project
Beyond Survival Expert [series] (2022)
biodegradable PVC, metal eyelets, moss, wooden cock, carabiner, green leatherette, neon green nylon chord
Photographs by Niamh Barry.
Assistant photographer Aoife McGrath
Concerned with the subjectivity of space-making, the middle of nowhere seeks to criticise the increasingly reductive approach of stripping space of its complexities. This insistence on laying space bare demonstrates the broader commitment to solidifying the predictability of lives that remain emblematic of the heteronormative mould. And thus, by (de-)centring the middle of nowhere, and contesting this common spatial perspective as Other, the site emerges as a counter-normative place for individuals who do not relate to the dominant trajectory of place. From a queer perspective, the middle of nowhere reveals itself as an autonomous zone of desire, across which an unknowable self is dispersed. At odds with the closet and metaphors of ‘in’ and ‘out’, you are not defined by boundaries but rather speak to your capacities.
Situated in a natural landscape, the middle of nowhere emphasises how an alternative vision of natural phenomena can de-centre the rigid social order of racial capitalism’s prioritised dichotomy of gender and sexual binaries—a dichotomy that varies in definition from one historical and socio-cultural context to another. So, what grounds our conception of gender, sexuality and desire after nature?
Situated in a natural landscape, the middle of nowhere emphasises how an alternative vision of natural phenomena can de-centre the rigid social order of racial capitalism’s prioritised dichotomy of gender and sexual binaries—a dichotomy that varies in definition from one historical and socio-cultural context to another. So, what grounds our conception of gender, sexuality and desire after nature?
Events
Beyond Survival Expert (2022)
Billboard
Project Arts Centre, Dublin
Beyond Survival (2022)
Film Screening
Project Arts Centre, Dublin
themiddleofnowheresite (2022)
Website Launch
Online
a cartography of the middle of nowhere (2022)
Publication Launch
Project Arts Centre
Billboard
Project Arts Centre, Dublin
Beyond Survival (2022)
Film Screening
Project Arts Centre, Dublin
themiddleofnowheresite (2022)
Website Launch
Online
a cartography of the middle of nowhere (2022)
Publication Launch
Project Arts Centre
(de-)centring the middle of nowhere (2022)
Mobile Billboard
Driving around the island of Ireland
inhabiting the middle of nowhere (2022)
Léann Herlihy & Gabriele Longega in Conversation
Online
to be nowhere (2022)
Live Performance
Project Arts Centre, Dublin
Mobile Billboard
Driving around the island of Ireland
inhabiting the middle of nowhere (2022)
Léann Herlihy & Gabriele Longega in Conversation
Online
to be nowhere (2022)
Live Performance
Project Arts Centre, Dublin
the middle of nowhere was a series of (non)site-specific events by Léann Herlihy that unfolded throughout 2022 in collaboration with Project Arts Centre, Dublin. the middle of nowhere revealed itself in a hybrid form of in-person, remote and/or mobile experiences. Working with and through spatial perspectives, the middle of nowhere resisted static concepts of space. In this manner, the vortex portal of themiddleofnowheresite hosted a variation of artworks from instructive diagrams to vortex portals which could be experienced from anywhere, elsewhere and/or nowhere.
More transitionary spatial experiences were embodied through a static billboard mounted outside Project Arts Centre, as well as a mobile billboard which emerged alongside the launch of a publication. Project Arts Centre acted as a platform for the opening and closing events of the middle of nowhere. The initial opening event consisted of a one-off film screening and subsequently, the middle of nowhere closes with a one-off live performance.
the middle of nowhere was commissioned by Project Arts Centre and kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland’s Visual Arts Bursary and Carlow Arts Festival’s Wedge Fund. The artist also wishes to acknowledge Temple Bar Gallery + Studios for providing an array of elements for an artist to truly thrive in their studio.