Recipient of The Loughshinny Boathouse Studio Award 2024 - Louis Haugh

Image: Louis Haugh, courtesy of the artist.

Fingal Arts Office is pleased to announce Louis Haugh as the recipient of the inaugural Loughshinny Boathouse Studio Award.  The objective of this new award is to provide a fully funded studio for a professional visual artist to research and develop new work in response to the coastal environment of Loughshinny and surrounding areas.

The coastline of Fingal is a wonderful natural amenity and an important wildlife resource for the many plants and animals that live in the diversity of habitats found around its shores.   This initiative provides funding to enable the artist to observe and explore Fingal’s biodiversity, coastal habitats and climate change impacts.  The former boathouse, located in the beautiful coastal village of Loughshinny will provide an ideal space for the artist to undertake research, interact with environmental specialists and engage with local communities. The artist will develop his project between September 2024 and May 2025 and create new work centering on Fingal’s biodiversity and natural environment. 

Louis Haugh, a visual artist working in photography, sound and installation will commence his residency in early September.  Originally from Hartstown in Dublin 15, Louis’ work focuses on ecology and biodiversity.  As part of Fingal County Council’s programme of events for Dublin Climate Action Week, he will facilitate a Natural Fermentation workshop using locally foraged botanicals at the boathouse on Saturday 14th September.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Brian McDonagh commented “Huge congratulations to Louis Haugh on being selected for this residency and I am v excited to see the outcome of his time and work. Highlighting the importance of our coastal biodiversity is a wonderful theme and I wish him every success.”

County Arts Officer, Sarah O’ Neill commented “Fingal Arts Office is excited to initiate this new opportunity.  As part of our ongoing commitment to support professional artists, this award will provide valuable time and space to develop new work, precipitate collaborations with biodiversity experts and create connections with the local community”.

Louis Haugh said on being awarded, “I am thrilled to have been awarded the Loughshinny Boathouse Studio Residency by Fingal Arts Office. As an artist originally from Fingal this coastline has a significant resonance with me and I am excited to explore the rich history, complex geology and important ecology of the area over the next nine months. I look forward to using my time in Loughshinny to begin a new body of work that will focus on my photography practice through a series of socially engaged workshops and studio events.”

Louis Haugh is a visual artist from Dublin with a background in photography and video, whose work is often socially engaged and community focused. The work he makes is concerned with ecology, biodiversity, landscape and our collective response to the climate emergency. Underpinning this work is a philosophy that is informed by ecofeminism, queer studies and decolonial practices. Louis’s work is supported by the Arts Council (Arts Participation Bursary 2024) and Fingal County Council (Artist Bursary 2024). Recent projects include; Queer Ecologies; The Balcony Project, Project Arts Centre, 2024, Talking Trees, Central Model Senior School & The LAB Gallery, 2024 and Ó Liath Go Glas, Project Arts Centre & RADE, 2023.

For further information see: www.fingalarts.ie www.fingal.ie  www.dcaw.ie