For her PhD graduate exhibition at Burren College of Art, Jacquelyn Dale (JD) Whitman will restage Ocean Voices: A Community-Based Marine Literacy Installation – a community-driven immersive installation that transforms recycled plastic materials into an artistic statement on marine biodiversity and plastic pollution in Irish waters. Co-created with students and faculty from Atlantic Technological University’s (ATU) BA Early Childhood Education and Care programme over a year-long workshop series, the project bridges contemporary art, marine science, and environmental advocacy to foster ocean literacy and community engagement.

At the heart of the installation is a large-scale, enterable inflatable structure built entirely from plastic collected during beach clean-ups around Galway Bay. The exterior and interior surfaces come alive through tactile sculptural elements inspired by marine life forms and pollution textures, layered soundscapes, and illuminated digital projections. The aesthetic emerged organically from the students’ creative experimentation and collaborative decision-making over the course of the project.

Originally presented at the Black Box Theatre, Galway, and hosted by ATU, the installation served as the living venue for a three-day public engagement programme of dance, storytelling, and hands-on art and science workshops for children, families, and community groups. The work embodied the Seven Ocean Literacy Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, grounded in Irish-specific marine research addressing the triple planetary crisis: pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

The project was developed in collaboration with dance artist Monica Muñoz; marine biologist Dr. Nóirín Burke (Galway Atlantaquaria); marine scientist and microplastic expert Dr. João Frias (ATU); ATU Early Childhood Education and Care programme faculty; and the Galway Childcare Committee.

About the artist

Jacquelyn Dale (JD) Whitman is an installation artist, educator, and ocean advocate whose transdisciplinary research addresses the plastic pollution crisis at the intersection of marine science, policy, and creative practice. Her work uses eco-social art methodologies to translate complex scientific research into immersive, accessible experiences that raise awareness, empower communities, and foster sustainable action. Focusing on micro- and nanoplastics, ocean literacy, and eco-emotional resilience, she is a PhD candidate at the Burren College of Art and University of Galway and serves as the Arts Council Artist-in-Residence at Atlantic Technological University. She is also an active alumna of the JRC’s SciArt Project, University of Iowa, and University of Chicago.

Her PhD research investigates how socially engaged practice and art-science collaboration can create participatory pathways toward informed eco-action in response to plastic particulate (micro- and nanoplastics) research.

Supported by

Ocean Voices was supported by the Arts Council, ATU, Galway Childcare Committee, Galway Atlantaquaria, the Marine Institute (networking and marine research communication awards), and the Irish American Partnership.