A Special Area of ConVersation
Mary Conroy and Joanna Hopkins

A Special Area of ConVersation is a publication resulting from an artist residency sited on the Fingal Coast in Co. Dublin in 2019. The residency was part of ‘An Urgent Inquiry’ project through Fingal County Council’s participation in the Invitation to Collaboration award.

A Special Area of ConVersation was developed to draw attention to the impacts of climate change on the biodiversity on the Fingal coast and conservation efforts being carried out in the Fingal area for both humans and non-humans. Representing a combination of both fact and fiction, the work stands on the border of the present and the past, of human and other. The project outcomes – a temporary installation, handmade sand and clay eggs, a live performance, and this final book – were created to highlight the existence, fragility and importance of all the creatures who call the Fingal coastline ‘home’.
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Mary Conroy is a cross-disciplinary Irish artist based in Limerick. Her work is influenced by both her immediate environment and current events – both personal and environmental. Her experience as a socially engaged artist means that she continually looks for a connection with people and place in my work.

Joanna Hopkins is a visual artist based between Mayo and Dublin. She works in video, drawing, collage & installation. Researching the brain, the body, native plants, history & personal stories, her work often culminates in site specific video installations. ²