Maria Kerin(-Walsh), artist curator choregrapher.


Welcome to my blog. It introduces some of the processes and projects that I have been involved in recent years as an independent, rural based artist-curator and choreographer, working towards sustaining a slower rural based lifestyle, through creativity that also supports autonomy and self organisation within an inter-connective model of collaboration.

My movement-based arts practice provokes and informs a translocal artist-curatorial and choreographic practice, manifesting into peer to peer networks and systems to support collaborations presently in Ireland, Estonia and Sweden, in an interdisciplinary practice without borders.

I am particularly interested in deep listening, sensing time and opening up memories through awareness/presence as an embodied creativity process and ethical inquiry, informed through somatic principles that supports my practice concerned with our relationships with nature and consciousness. For example see blog page 'Post domestic: The future is the forest". Work with Kristina Kvamme, Sweden, since August 2019, in her walking practice that links through image and text live online on Fridays nourishes this. Ongoing explorations with Rachel Sweeney through Articulating Thresholds expands this inquiry.

Since 2018 I've been working on translocal, transdisciplinary collaborations in experimental heritage, with Professor Bodil Petersson of Linneaus University and members of Experimental Heritage network Sweden. This has led to us forming Karum-Creevagh, a group of artists, archaeologists and ecologists from Ireland and Sweden, concerned with our future.
See www.experimentalheritage.com for a detailed archive.

See Outrider Artists.wix.com for more info on local rural networks and cross-cultural sharing.
For other online images, see my kind partner Michael Walsh's documentation of my work:

https://issuu.com/michaelwalsh/docs/10_days_embodied_creative_process_d


https://issuu.com/michaelwalsh/docs/future_domestic_2013_visual_diary


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSYpxRfzKp0&t=4s


Should you wish to contact me for more information please text 00353877711033 or email: kerinmaria@gmail.com
See www.thefloatingvillage.net for collaboration with Dr Rachel Sweeney as part of The Floating Village eco-somatic practice since 2019.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

interdisciplinary movement based arts practice, Ankor

Ankor, a European interdisciplinary movement based arts practice constellation established in Sept 2017 in Cavan, Ireland


A European interdisciplinary 
movement-based arts practice constellation focused around peer sharing that aims to research and create platforms to support our art practice and processes (visual art and/or contemporary dance) 

This grew from the initial concept by Maria Kerin, an interdisciplinary artist-curator, in response to her own needs to link with a creative like-minded community of movement based artists and her desire to support and share movement based research and knowledge horizontally. 

During 2017, from meetings with artists Alexandra Rafferty, IRE, Helle Kvamme, SW, Mairead Vaughen, IRE, Russell Brown US, and Dr. Eleftheria Rapti, Greece, the urgency to establish a community was apparent. 

In September 2017, Maria Kerin invited Russell Brown, Daire Skuze (radio producer/folklorist) and Alexandra Rafferty to a sharing of practices over 3 days in her studio and home in Ennistymon. Co.Clare.

In response to an invite by Cavan Arts Officer Catriona O’Reilly offering a residency in her home in Cavan and create something for Culture Night 2017, Maria Kerin curated Cavan hothouse research residency, inviting a gathering of movement based artists in a peer to peer sharing week.

4 O’Clock TEAS as part of Culture Night….Belturbert, Cavan.

Participants: Helle Kvamme, artist-curator from Yellow Box, Oland, Sweden, Russell Browne, USA, dance artist and scholar, Dr. Miread Vaughen, IRE, contemporary dancer/choreographer and international visual artist Patricia McKenna from Cavan. On route we had an introductory meeting and brief movement based sharing with limerick-based Irish artist Isolde Donohoe. 

Maria Kerin and Russell Brown are researching the potential to form Ankor into a legal identity through the structure of an integrated authentic organisational model, that could host many artists participating at any level and any way they want, based on their own needs but with sharing at the heart of the connection. 

Helle Kvamme invited Patricia Mckenna to make work for “The Forest” an ongoing research exhibition/process in Kalmar and she exhibited Mairead Vaughen’s film at the opening with Maria Kerin giving a participatiory performance/preseantation at the opening. 

Both Maria and Patricia did movement based research in the forest over the week in Sweden and the ongoing conversations on methodology and process continue between Maria with Helle.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Sept 2017- April 2018 will be updated by Friday 20th April

Apologies to all who want to know about;

Ankor, a European Movement based arts practice collective I founded in Sept 2017 in Cavan, Ireland
Performance 4 O'Clock TEAS, Culture night, Belturbet, Co. Cavan

My ongoing work with Helle Kvamme, Yellow Box, Oland, Sweden; my presentation performace in Kalmar Art Museum and workshop in the forest in Oland with Kristina Kvamme. Oct 17.
Ankor second meeting to research "creating space" invited by Dr. Mairead Vaughan and selected by Uilleann West Cork Arts Centre, West Cork, Ireland for a weeks long residency with Swedish guests Helle Kvamme and Anna Lindtal

My ongoing research into receptivity and body listening: invited Ulo Vihma on residency to my home, Mrua Studios, Luisne, Monreal North Ennistymon. He gave 2 free workshops on Receptivity, Body listening and conflict resolution. Feb 2018
Curating a week long interdisciplinary arts practice sharing between Burren based artists and Oland Think Tank, researching processes and arts practices informed by artists living and being in place, in this instance the karst Burren region, focusing on embodied creative knowledge of there.  March 2018

and ongoing PhD research through my arts practice

This blog is in the process of being updated and should be completed by Friday 20th April.
Please call back then! 

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Arts practice, embodied timelines and experimental archeology in the Burren 5-10 March.



Following on from Patricia Mckenna and my visit to Kalmar and Oland, (thanks to the creativity and kindness of Helle Kvamme as part of our ongoing arts practice together,) and Bodil Petersson's experimental archeology cultural heritage reserach group with Oland Think Tank,
a return visit to the Burren was called for! 

Helle Kvamme and I devised and curated the following week: 
Puicead:
Arts practice, embodied timelines and experimental archeology in the Burren
 5-10 March 2018.

In a week of interdisciplinary arts practice sharing, from puppets appearing on Wedge tombs with poetry readings and faith healing in Corcomroe Abbey to somatic movement practice deep in the dark of the Ailwee Caves, 13 artists and archeologists from Öland island, Sweden, got a unique taste of the Burren. The week’s research of a karst landscape is part of the experimental cultural heritage project lead by Associate Professor Bodil Petersson, Archeology Department with artists, archeologists and researchers of Öland cultural think tank with bases in Öland and Kalmar University. Öland Is an island off the East coast of Sweden and has a world heritage site, ALVARET. This interdisciplinary exchange was initiated by Helle Kvamme, artist curator at Yellow Box, Öland, Sweden and myself Clare artist curator Maria Kerin who has been working with them giving movement based arts practice workshops in Öland.

From being served Wlid Kitchen seaweed soup as they exchanged arts practice gifts with local artists in the Courthouse Gallery,  with thanks to Una O'Dwyer for the delicious meal and the kindness and generosity of Anne Mulle Curator of the Courthouse gallery for hosting it.






To hearing Patricia McKenna, Danny Burke and Patrick McCormack connect site specific arts practice, embodied timelines and experimental archeology in the Burren at a conference in the Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon:
poster design thanks to Michael Walsh, emajoe disain


To visiting archelogical dig led by Dr. Ros O'Maolduin in Kilnaboy with some surprise guests popping up!




They went home with St. Brigid’s dolls, thanks to Daire Skuce who gave us the experience of a visit to St. Brigids well, Liscannor. 








They also made bog prints thanks to Fiona O'Dwyer who invited them into her studio in Ennistymon and gave a presentation on how her work is informed by place 




Got insights in to burren healing landscape, thanks to Ailish Hayden and Brid Keeley, poetry and cultural heritage stories of place, hanks to Frank Golden and of course thanks to the interdisciplinary nature of this exchange we all made new friends. 

Ailish Hayden giving her presentation about arts practice reserach process and Mauri methods in Corcomroe Abbey, Bellharbour, Co.Clare. photos thanks to Patricia McKenna

A special big heartfelt thank you to all involved who gave of their expertise for free and Jane at the Ailwee Caves who facilitated my somatic movement based practice in there with the group; 10 minutes in total, complete damp darkness, a km deep into the belly of Ailwee mountain!




Helle Kvamme in Ailwee Cave, photo compliments of Patricia McKenna



Dr. Eamon Doyle gave a presentation on the Burren GeoPark and world heritage site in the Courthouse Gallery. Seen here talking to Patricia Mckenna.


Oland Think Tank final evening drawing in the Courthouse Gallery:




time to go home...


                                                       until we meet again...

Glad to announce Patricia McKenna, Dr.Eamon Doyle, Danny Burke, Dr. Ros O’Maoldoin, Dr. Mary Nunan and Deirdre Carr are invited with myself on a reciprocal visit to a symposium in Sweden in Septermber 2018 to continue our research.