Shane Finan
Shane Finan
Bio: Shane Finan (he/them) assembles artworks and projects from interactive contemporary technologies, found objects, and traditional artistic media. Their work is as both artist and creative producer on collaborative projects. It is research based and explores the impact of technologies on rural places.
Shane always collaborates, most recently working with and learning from artists, plankton, environmental scientists, fungi and biologists. In their practice, Shane develops collaborative projects with artists, researchers, and other partners. This has included establishing and co-running the collective artist workspace and community space ^ in Manorhamilton (2022-26), where they coordinated collaborative artistic research projects. They co-founded 'Levels of Compromise' in 2024, a nationwide collective of artists who work with critical technologies.
Recent awards include the Arts Council of Ireland Individual Bursary Award (2023), Artists Workspace Scheme (2024, 2023, 2022), Agility Award (2022, 2021, 2020). Other awards include South Dublin County Council In Context Public Art Award (2026), Creative Ireland funding (2024, 2020), Culture Ireland funding (2021, 2018).
Artwork Description and Title of Work: CPR
An interactive installation about the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR), a device invented in 1925 on board the RRS Discovery by artist-scientist Sir Alister Hardy. The artwork tells a combined story of the history of the device and its continued use in plankton data monitoring today. Two people are required to activate the installation – one to breathe for the other to listen and view.
Website: https://shanefinan.org
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