Articulates complicated scientific ideas in a clear way
‘Sire’ makes visible the industrialised practices that have come to characterise modern cattle breeding. In the process it questions how our alienation from agriculture is changing our relationship with food.
Weaving pagan motifs with genetic patterns, ‘Sire’ is an invitation to think critically about contemporary cultivation and consumption.
“I wanted to make these animals, which are quite hidden away from humans, more visible again,” explains artist Maria McKinney.
“The whole proposition of using animals in an artwork is a contentious issue,” says McKinney. “I worked very closely with the bulls’ handlers, who knew each of the bulls' personalities.”
"I wanted to make something that wouldn't allow people to turn away easily or just call it pretty," explains McKinney. "I always take materials that aren't necessarily associated with art-making and use my hands to transform them into something else."
“The sculptures are made from woven semen straws. With this quite contemporary material, I used the ancient handcraft of straw weaving, which was used to make corn dollies,” says McKinney.
“In urban areas there’s often very little sense of where milk and beef actually come from: their production, the science behind it, and the health and welfare issues that link to it,” says scientist and collaborator Michael Doherty. “It’s good that ‘Sire’ gets people to think about these processes without imposing judgement on them.”
Maria McKinney is an artist based in Dublin. She undertook a residency at University College Dublin in 2016. Her work explores the impact of human intervention on the natural world, often bringing together unusual contemporary materials and traditional craft techniques. She was awarded a Wellcome Arts Award in 2015 to produce ‘Sire’.
Michael Doherty is Dean and Professor of Veterinary Clinical Studies at the School of Veterinary Medicine. His research includes dairy-herd health and the merging of folkloric and scientific veterniary practices in rural communities.
David MacHugh is a professor in genomics and Associate Dean of Research at the School of Agriculture and Food Science at University College Dublin. His work includes the study of animal genomics and its relationship to the food chain.
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