susan leen
‘I am a visual artist working in expanded drawing, printmaking, social practice and ephemeral installation. My work interrogates place and how the topography and geography of a site can inform and create culture.’
Tochail was a creative research artist residency which is part of the wider Creative Places Project. This took place in December 2024 and January 2025.
I worked inland in the Gaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh (Dromaid area of the Iveragh peninsula). As an embedded artist I lived with the community and used formal and informal creative methodologies to engage with local residents on the topic of the rural housing crisis. Two other residencies ran in parallel we worked with Cumas Ceantar Uíbh Ráthaigh and the TASC (Think Tank for Action & Social Change)
https://www.tasc.ie/news/2025/02/18/artists-residencies-in-the-south-kerry-gaeltacht-identify-ho/
The TOCHAIL residencies underscore the power of creativity in tackling urgent social issues. The innovative approach applied in the Iveragh Gaeltacht offers a replicable model for other communities across the island of Ireland facing similar challenges. As discussions around rural housing continue, policymakers, agencies and community development practitioners are encouraged to engage with this innovative model and explore its potential for broader implementation.
The research findings will directly inform TASC's People’s Transition project in the Gaeltacht, which explores the development of social and economic interventions to contribute to a more egalitarian climate transition process for the people of Iveragh. The launch of the Uíbh Ráthaigh People’s Transition report is set to take place in April.