Co-Curated by Moustacchi and Clara McSweeney

Living but a Day: Encounters offers a window into Chloe Austin’s practice-based research, which explores the impact of text-based communication on queer and feminist expression across the island of Ireland. This multifaceted study navigates the exchange between language, identity, and activism, tracing the evolution of queer representation and striving for a new ‘living’ archive.

Within this research framework, an array of methodologies is employed, ranging between performance-led workshops, live performances, participatory exhibitions, and bodily interventions. These processes are deeply collaborative, inviting individuals from diverse backgrounds to contribute their perspectives and experiences.

Central to the project’s ethos is its engagement with queer and feminist printed ephemera and archival materials, which serve as repositories of historical narratives and catalysts for contemporary dialogue. Through performative approaches such as re-speaking, repetition, and reinterpretation, these materials become vessels through which the voices of the past are brought into conversation with the realities of the present. As the project evolves, it transforms into a series of tangible encounters, each one a physical manifestation of this ongoing dialogue. These interventions, whether in the form of installation, performance, or interactive exhibition, serve as essential case studies within the broader research inquiry, illuminating the intricate intersections of text, identity, and activism.

By occupying physical space and inviting audience engagement, Living but a Day: Encounters creates a dynamic platform for reflection, conversation, and exploration. It is within these moments of encounter and exchange that the true power of the project is realized, fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities of queer and feminist expression across the island of Ireland.

Chloe Austin (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist working with text and video installation. She is currently a PhD Researcher at Belfast School of Art, Ulster University. Chloe completed her MFA at BSOA in 2020, after receiving her BA in Fine Art and Design at Crawford College in Cork in 2017. She is a studio member of Flax Arts Studios.

Her current practice takes performative approaches to archival material and typographic history. Through collaborative performance-led interventions and workshops, she examines how text-based communication has influenced queer and feminist expression on the island of Ireland.

Chloe is a recipient of the Agility Award from The Arts Council of Ireland (2023 & 2022), ACNI: Individuals Emergency Resilience Programme and the 126 Gallery Micro-Grant Programme (2021). She was also awarded the Alice Berger Hammerschlag Award from Belfast School of Art (2018) and the Cork Film Centre Exhibition Award (2017). Her work has been exhibited by galleries such as The Golden Thread Gallery, CCA Derry~Londonderry and Catalyst Arts.

Find out more here.