Professor Sarah Glennie

Director

Through this site you can explore the full breadth of work by our extraordinary graduates. We are exceptionally proud of the final-year and postgraduate students who are part of NCAD Works 2023, and in sharing their work with you we would like to pay tribute to them and the ways in which they have individually responded to the immense challenges that the last few years have posed. Their work stands as testament to the dedication, resilience and creativity that has inspired us all through some challenging years, and I know all my colleagues at NCAD are extremely proud of everything that they have achieved. 

Our students are fully engaged with the world beyond the NCAD campus and they continue to demonstrate their ambition and commitment to make work that has impact and meaning to us all in many different ways. The big challenges that face society can be traced across our graduates' work as they apply their creativity to bringing new solutions, critical thinking and reflection onto issues including sustainability, gender identity and equality, wellbeing, new technologies and our digital and material futures.  

An education at NCAD is the starting point for generations of bold and curious minds that have made an enormous contribution to society in many different ways. Experimentation in the studio, learning through doing, deep understanding of materials and processes, as well as the criticality that is embedded across all pathways, prepare graduates to thrive in and beyond the worlds of art and design. We cannot predict the kind of world our graduates will be working in, but we do know that the imagination, creativity and critical thinking they have gained during their time at NCAD will equip them to make an impact in whatever path they follow. We need thinkers and doers who are not afraid to ask questions, adapt and lead, and this generation of NCAD graduates’ creativity and resilience will benefit us all in years to come. 

So on behalf of An Bord and all my colleagues at NCAD – congratulations to all our graduating students, we are extremely proud of all that you have achieved and we look forward to following your creative journeys in the future.

NCAD Works 2023 Thomas St Campus

100 Thomas Street
Directions

9–16 June


Fri 9 June 10am–9pm
Sat 10 June 10am–5pm
Sun 11 June 10am–5pm
Mon 12 June 10am–8pm
Tue 13 June 10am–8pm
Wed 14 June 10am–8pm
Thu 15 June 10am–8pm
Fri 16 June 10am–6pm

Courses on show:

BA Fashion
BA Jewellery & Objects
BA Textile & Surface Design
Joint (Hons) Education Design or Fine Art
BA Graphic Design
BA Illustration
BA Moving Image Design
BA Interaction Design
BA Product Design
Applied Materials
Media
Painting
Print
Sculpture & Expanded Practice
MA Design for Body & Environment
MA Communication Design
MA Interaction Design

NCAD MFA Show

102–3 James’ Street
Directions
Map (PDF)

9–16 June

Fri 9 June 10am–9pm
Sat 10 June 10am–5pm
Sun 11 June 10am–5pm
Mon 12 June 10am–8pm
Tue 13 June 10am–8pm
Wed 14 June 10am–8pm
Thu 15 June 10am–8pm
Fri 16 June 10am–6pm

Courses on show:

MFA in Fine Art
MFA Art in the Contemporary World

NCAD Works Grace Gifford House

9–16 June

Fri 9 June 10am–9pm
Sat 10 June 10am–5pm
Sun 11 June 10am–5pm
Mon 12 June 10am–8pm
Tue 13 June 10am–8pm
Wed 14 June 10am–8pm
Thu 15 June 10am–8pm
Fri 16 June 10am–6pm

Courses on show:

Media

Greta O’Brien is a Dublin based artist who lives in close proximity to the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. The glasshouses there were inaccessible to the public during the pandemic. When they reopened in late 2021, an accumulation of unusual plants that came to life during this time could be seen.

Inspired by this encounter with nature, O'Brien made excursions to explore other enclosed and contained man-made 'natural' environments. They included the Butterfly Pavilion at ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo, Sea Life Aquarium in Bray, Co. Wicklow, and Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium in Co. Kerry.

During these visits O'Brien was struck by the vast quantity of unusual butterflies, aqua marine life and plants that are forced to survive in controlled environments. Upon entering the enclosures she encountered an overwhelming feeling of excitement, unpredictability and mystery of the unknown. She can't help the feeling of it being an invasive process of constant disruption to the habitats, routine and living conditions of the marine life and plants on display.

Greta O'Brien

Natural Selection

she/her

Edit
*The Enclosed Exotic Plants and Fruit*

The Enclosed Exotic Plants and Fruit

Chrysalis

Chrysalis

*Transformation From Chrysalis To Butterfly*

Transformation From Chrysalis To Butterfly

Folded Creations

Folded Creations

Chrysalis

Chrysalis

Wings of Independence

Wings of Independence

Restricted Environment

Restricted Environment

Confinement

Confinement

The Enclosed Exotic Plants and Fruit*

The Enclosed Exotic Plants and Fruit*