Stigma Damages is a solo exhibition by Michele Horrigan, known for her ongoing investigations into heavy industry in Ireland and the environmental impacts involved in the global production of aluminium. This is Horrigan’s most substantial presentation on the topic to date, with new video artworks, unearthed archival documents and found objects placed across five gallery spaces at The Model.

Videos at The Model feature a detailed overview of the Rusal refinery and often-turbulent public meetings in nearby Askeaton around its future. Further fieldwork by the artist around environmental activism and knowledge-sharing is seen, as with Horrigan’s work with community organisations in Western Australia that successfully challenge the corporate mandates of alumina refineries outside Perth. Topographical maps, the artists’ own health tests and a curated selection of objects and documents amassed over fifteen years of research are additionally presented.

The exhibition marks the beginning of a series of further developments in Horrigan’s artwork. A new resource website launches at www.stigmadamages.com, featuring key research, critical texts and a podcast series to unfold over the next year. A seminar event on Saturday October 12 will feature the artist in conversation with Neal White (Artist and Professor of Art at University of Westminster, London) Patrick Bresnihan (Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at Maynooth University) and Emanuela Ferrari (Environmental Campaigner with FutureProof Clare and PhD candidate at University College Dublin).