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In 2022, Linda O’Keeffe was commissioned by i-Portunus to create a body of work for the Edges residency and the Brighton Art Festival. She engaged in a discursive collaboration with ceramic artist Juss Heinsalu at the Ceramic House Brighton, focusing on the theme of Edges and Peripheries. Supported by Creative Scotland and i-Portunus, this collaboration delved into questions about the nature of life, intelligence, and the anthropocentric nature of these definitions. Their inquiry was an extension of research into the ethics of genetic editing for climate adaptation.

The result was an audio-visual work titled “Continents Drifting.” This piece imagines ancient communication modalities, where hybrid life forms—intertwined with elements like stone, soil, rock, plant, and animal—strive to communicate with us across geological epochs. It reflects on our significant impact on the planet. The work suggests that earth’s elements—earth, stone, soil, rock, shell—might have subtly warned us of our transient existence, which could vanish without a trace if we cause our own demise.

“Continents Drifting” has been showcased at the Alternating Current Festival in Dublin in 2023, the Zuccaire Gallery in New York in 2023, and is scheduled for exhibition at The Wexford Art Centre in Ireland in 2024.

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