Conor McFeely is a visual artist from Derry whose work spans installation, sculpture, sound, photography, video and found materials. His practice investigates fractured narratives, countercultural histories and structures of ideological, architectural and psychological control. Through the construction of immersive environments, he explores how meaning is produced, destabilised or resisted, foregrounding the instability of fixed interpretation and encouraging audiences to consider how histories are constructed, mediated and challenged.
His work is shaped by material curiosity, media experimentation and focused research interests, while remaining open to improvisation and intuitive decision-making. He constructs environments in which the visceral and conceptual operate in parallel, allowing research to inform but not predetermine outcomes. Drawing on a range of materials and processes, his work develops through an interplay of experimentation and critical inquiry. He is currently developing a new project, The Autonomous Zone, taking as its starting point the writings of anarchist poet Hakim Bey. Drawing on the concept of Temporary Autonomous Zones—ephemeral spaces of provisional freedom outside dominant systems—the project explores alternative forms of autonomy, collective imagination and resistance. The work is informed by research into transitional and peripheral locations in the northwest of Ireland, including industrial edges, port environments and temporary structures shaped by time, nature, conflict and contested authority. The project will result in new sculptural forms, photographic and moving-image works, and experimental sound pieces that function as speculative “zones” within exhibition settings.
Conor McFeely applied for the Golden Fleece Award to support the development of this project, enabling the creation of new sculptural, photographic, moving-image and sound works.
