Peter Sheehan

Peter Sheehan graduated from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin in 1988, and went on to work with Philip Kenny, and then Design Partners, before setting up his own design practice in 2011. His work typically takes a wide angle view of design, making, craft and art. In doing this he explores the origins of design and material culture; the essence of the object.

In all his work and collaboration there is a connection to the natural world as well as a big idea, a story, an attempt at a deeper meaning. In 2018, an encounter with an abandoned cottage on an island in the Shannon Estuary led him to question the materials we surround ourselves with and consume – the mass produced stuff we accumulate and use without thinking: made on the other side of the world, of plastic and silicon, with a diminishing sense or measure of the cost to govern our choices. From this he has embarked on a journey, called ANAM, creating a series of installations on the edges of the landscape to include new sculptural, craft and design work of his own alongside works by noted Irish craftspeople and makers. This new work is curated together with artefacts of everyday life from the not so distant past. From this a line can be drawn from past to future, and a set of values established to inform his own practice.

Peter Sheehan applied for a Golden Fleece Award to support the development of the next iteration of the planned trilogy of ANAM installations. This will involve periods of time spent on location evolving new works and relationships, as well as a collaboration with Michael Murphy.