372.5~Howth is a visualisation of the effortless distribution of water that occurs during a tidal period in the artists home town of Howth, Dublin. The sea is not a landscape or facilitator of human activity but an entity of vast geographical and temporal scale that possesses agency. It’s behaviour is constantly being predicted, recorded and stored.
While there is a common understanding of the ebb and flow of tides but less awareness of the volume of water that is stretched within the typical 6 hour time frame (372.5 minutes). Having grown up by the sea the artist has been exposed to these shifts and has experienced the tidal movements whilst on the water sailing, swimming and paddleboarding.
There are patterns in nature we can see and understand but there are also patterns we cannot seem to figure out. This installation is a continuation of O’Leary's research into hyperobjects and the sublime, exploring how abstract data can be transformed using technology to make natures complexities tangible. Situated at the intersection of art and technology, 372.5 ~ Howth uses a system of pulleys and weights inspired by the historical methods of tidal measurement to recreate its current behaviour.
***Dimensions adjustable. Image 3 shows artwork on view at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London featuring a frame structure if suspension is not possible.
