Sylwia Migdal

Sylwia Migdal
Bright Earth
22 September to 11 October 2025

Studio open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the residency to experience the work-in-progress and engage in conversation.

“How to live well on a vulnerable planet that is not yet murdered.” – Donna Haraway

The Bright Earth Residency welcomes back Sylwia Migdal, who returns to Studio 3 to deepen her research into climate anxiety and its impact on young people’s mental health.

During her first residency, Sylwia invited young people to share their thoughts, feelings, and fears through an anonymous Feeling Box outside her studio. These reflections now provide the foundation for her new body of work.

Through a creative process that blends text, visual elements, and sound, Sylwia is developing an artwork that makes the voices of young people visible and tangible. Her practice aims to reflect the emotional landscape of a generation navigating the realities of a planet in crisis, while also fostering empathy, awareness, and dialogue.

5 to 30 August 2025

During my residency, I will focus on the theme of climate anxiety and its impact on young people’s mental health. I aim to research and create an artwork that gives voice to young people’s experiences and emotions surrounding climate change. My work will be grounded in their lived realities—raw, unfiltered, and expressed through their own words.

“How to live well on a vulnerable planet that is not yet murdered.” – Donna Haraway

Inspired by the provoking words of Donna Haraway, my work seeks to explore the emotional and psychological dimensions of living in a time of climate crisis—particularly as experienced by young people.

The Research Component: Feeling Box
To gather these insights, I will set up a “Feeling Box” outside my studio space. This box will be a space where young people are invited to anonymously share their thoughts, feelings, and fears—not only about climate change, but about how they are feeling in general. I will provide prompts to encourage participation, but the submissions will remain entirely open-ended to capture authentic expressions.

The Creative Process:
Drawing from the collected reflections, I will create the body of work that weaves together text, visual elements, and possibly sound. The voices of these young people will form the foundation of the artwork—making their feelings visible and tangible. My goal is to reflect the emotional landscape of a generation navigating the realities of a planet in crisis, while also fostering empathy, awareness, and dialogue.

Sylwia Migdal, Public Engagement Assistant at Uillinn, and artist and researcher from Poland, has lived and worked in West Cork for nearly two decades. Her artistic practice is rooted in conceptual art, soundscapes, participatory and socially engaged practice, and engaging regularity with young people in informal settings. For the past two years, she has played a significant role in delivering and developing the young people’s programme at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in her role as Project Assistant. Sylwia’s academic journey is marked by achievements, including a BA in Visual Arts and a Master’s Degree in Art and Environment from Technological University Dublin, School of Art and Design, with studies conducted on Sherkin Island and Dublin. She also holds a Youth Arts certification in the Youth Work Context from Maynooth University, highlighting her dedication to nurturing young creative minds.

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www.migdalsylwia.com