Michelle Atherton

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Michelle Atherton

Senior Lecturer in Fine Art


Summary

I am an artist and academic interested in the complex relationships, material dynamics and contradictions at play in day-to-day experiences and phenomena. I make artwork that uses a remix aesthetic, often combining images, text and located sounds. The aim is to look again at matters that seem settled, beyond question, but where inherent instability opens into other questions of material states, refusals, politics, and collective reimaging.

My current research considers the impact art practice research can have on global environmental challenges; experimenting what might lie beyond human perception and how we might undo reductive binaries between the living and the non-living.

My work has exhibited and presented widely in Europe including galleries, museums, festivals, conferences and through publications. I was awarded an Early Career Research and Innovation Fellowship from Sheffield Hallam University and my artwork and research is supported by funding from National Lottery and Arts Council England, the UKRI: Arts & Humanities Research Council and a series of international residencies. 

 

About

I am an artist and academic interested in the complex relations, material dynamics and contradictions at play in day-to-day phenomena and experiences. My works use a remix aesthetic often incorporating image, text, and found sound and the material particularities of technology to create fragmented narratives and atmospherics as hooks to explore slippery perceptions and engagements with the world. 

The format for each work is dependent on the research enquiry, with pieces ranging from single screen video works to largescale wall drawings, multi-screen installations with musical soundtracks and randomised lighting effects to performative events, sound works, live broadcasts and sited interventions. 

Recent pieces have ranged from participatory artworks: 'The Soil Séance Sessions' (2023-ongoing), where individuals spend time listening to the ground beneath their feet & accompanying LP due for release in 2025; 'Celebratory Gathering', bringing people together to pay tribute to the dead, across species, structures and social formations. To Installations: 'The Repository of Irrational Gestures (RIGS)' (2019), in the form of an imaginary archive made up of ‘irrational gestures’, where an absurdist collage of image, text, sound and light effects interrogate different types of actions and knowledge formations; 'Absorbing red photons' (2018) a video installation exploring how we conceptualise and imagine the ocean’s depths using footage from a submersible 2,000ft below sea level.

The aim with all the works is to look again at matters that seem settled, beyond question, but where inherent instability opens into other questions of material states, refusals, politics, and collective imaginaries. The aim with all the works is to look again at matters that seem settled, beyond question, but where inherent instability opens into other questions of material states, refusals, politics, and collective imaginaries. 

Venues for these pieces and commissions include the Museum for Sepulkralkultur, Germany; Grand Union Gallery, Birmingham; Black Mountain College USA & art.earth, UK; Spor Klübü, Berlin; Viborg Kunsthal Denmark; Atelier Salzamt Gallery and Kunstraum Gallery, Austria; MAW, Middlesborough Art Festival & Tatton Park Biennale, U.K; Kino Babylon, Berlin; Linergallari Tallinn, Estonia; and Dagmar de Pooter Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium. 

My artistic research has been supported through international residencies most recently at Aqtushetii, Georgia and BANFF, Centre for Arts, Canada and an ECRI Fellowship Award from Sheffield Hallam University. My research is regularly presented at international conferences and symposia and funded by Arts Council England and UKRI: Arts and Humanities Research Council. 

 

Senior Lecturer

Teaching

Sheffield Creative Industries Institute , Department of Art and Design

College of Social Sciences and Arts

Subject area

Fine Art

Courses

MFA & MA Fine Art
Postgraduate Research

Modules

Module Leader: Art Practice –MFA/MA 1st year studio practice module
Contributing to following modules:
Art
Arts & It’s Publics
Studio Methods

Research

Current research project:

'Ecstatic Rot': artistic research investigating our relationships with transience, decomposition and re-composition as more-than-human activities through experimental artistic audio methods. The work involves finding experimental ways to explore ephemera: the loss and flows of materialities, including cycles of transformation across species and substances. Alighting on those things and actions that challenge simplistic divisions between what might be identified as living and non-living. It draws on postnatural frameworks, deep listening practices, located audio recordings, deep listening practices and intermittent attention spans. 

This research has resulting in a new diverse body of related artworks using intimate and experimental listening practices to engage diverse audiences through a range of purely auditory experiences. The purpose of this approach is to re-imagine our relationships with ecological environments and ourselves. The work considers the impact art practice research can have on the challenges presented by global climate change and explores low carbon research and artistic strategies.

Related research 2025

Exhibition: 'Soil Séance Sessions': Sound Installation & Live Performance & LP Release
As part of You, Life and Finitude Exhibition, Museum fur Sepulkralktur Feb & June 2025

Audio Performance: Listening Lounge II – New Audio Performance at Abney Cemetery Park, London August 2025.
 
Listening Party: Research Residency 2024-5
The Growing Project, Grand Union Gallery, Birmingham 

New Artwork: Podcast for Grand Unions’ Ecology & Recorded Stories Podcast series October  

Live Participatory Audio Artwork: Soil Séance Sessions - Thinking in Circles 23-25 May, Od Arts Festival, Somerset 2025

Featured research projects 2023-24

Exhibition: 'Soil Séance Sessions': Sound Installation & Live Performance & LP Release
As part of You, Life and Finitude Exhibition, Museum fur Sepulkralktur Feb & June 2025

Participatory Audio Artwork: 'Soil Séance Sessions: Series I & II' Listening to the Ground, 2023-ongoing, 
Where to date over hundred individuals have spent time listening to the ground across: 7 Boroughs in London; Bethnal Green Nature Reserve, London, 33rd International Summer Academy, University for Music & Performing Arts Vienna, Austria 2023, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park; Abney Park Cemetery, London & Cemeteries across Kassel, Germany 2024 

Global Live Broadcast: Reveil’s 24hr Worldwide Dawn Chorus Day
Eden Valley Natural Burial Ground 2023 & Common Grave, Abney Park, London 2024 in partnership with Soundtent

Listening Party: Research Residency 2024-5
The Growing Project, Grand Union Gallery, Birmingham 

Conference Papers:
‘The Invite, the Impetus & the Chat’ Borrowed Time Borrowed Time: Death, Dying & Change Symposium, Dartington Hall, UK, online 2021 
‘Low Frequencies: A speculative relationship with transience. Paper delivered Association of Social Anthropologist’s 2023: An Unwell World?, SOAS, London
Errant Vibrations from the Underground Fiction Machines IV Symposium, Bath Spa University. 2023 
Paper being submitted for publication.

Book Chapter: ‘The Invite, the Impetus & the Chat’ in R.Povall & M. Osmond (Eds.) Borrowed Time: Death, Dying and Change art.earth 2022

Event: Celebratory Gathering: LIVE from the Rowan Tree and the International Space Station’ at Borrowed Time: Death, Dying & Change Programmed Event, Dartington Hall, UK Oct 2021


Collaborators and sponsors

Current research has been supported through a grant by Arts Council England, SHU ECRI Fellowship Scheme,  Commission Museum fur Sepulkralktur, Germany; Bethnal Green Nature Reserve, Tower Hamlets Cemtery Park, Abney Park Trust, Eden Valley Natural Burial Ground, The Growing Project, Grand Union Gallery, Birmingham and Soundtent.

Publications

Key Publications

Atherton, M. (2015). 'Breathable fabric. Submersion. And Parrotfish: Homotopia Three Unequal Speculations'. E.R.O.S. Homotopia, (6), 217-222. http://erosjournal.co.uk/

Conference papers

Atherton, M. (2015). ARP & Submersive Aesthetics. In Space and Place Project: 6th Global Meeting, Mansfield College, Oxford University, U.K, 3 September 2015 - 5 September 2015.

Atherton, M. (2014). Absorbing red photons : work in progress presentation. In Waterwheel World Water Day Symposium 2014 – 3WDS14, Online Symposium across 30 countries from 5 continents, 17 March 2015 - 23 March 2015. http://water-wheel.net/taps-list

Atherton, M. (2018). Submersive Aesthetics. In 2018 Liquidscapes: Tales and telling of watery worlds and fluid states, International Conference, Dartington Hall, UK, 20 June 2018 - 22 June 2018.

Atherton, M. (2018). Submersive Aesthetics. In Rendering (the) Visible III: Liquidity Conference, Georgia State University, Atlanta USA, 8 February 2018 - 10 February 2018.

Atherton, M. (2012). Absorbing Red Photons. In Water: Image International Conference, Plymouth, UK, 4 July 2012 - 6 July 2012. http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/files/extranet/docs/FoA/ProgrammeWaterImageConference.pdf

Book chapters

Atherton, M. (2022). The invite, the impetus & the chat. In Povall, R., & Osmond, M. (Eds.) Borrowed time: on death, dying and change. art.earth: https://art-earth.org.uk/product/borrowed-time/

Atherton, M. (2021). Park. In Shifting Horizons: Women's Landscape Photography Now. (pp. 62-65).

Atherton, M. (2015). Absorbing red photons : work in progress. In Fuks, S. (Ed.) Water Views : Caring and Daring : Waterwheel World Water Day Symposium 2014 : 3WDS14. (pp. 293-295). Australia: Igneous Incorporated: http://r.water-wheel.net/3wds14ebook.pdf

Theses / Dissertations

Griffin, J. (2022). Aura in the post-digital: a diffraction of the curatorial archive. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Mccarthy, P., Ling, Y.F., & Atherton, M. http://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00481

Artefacts

Atherton, M. (2019). Performance Lecture of the Repository of Irrational Gestures (RIG’s): Dissonance in the era of Fake News. [Performative Lecture]. https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/digital-ecologies-ii/

Atherton, M. (2019). RIGs: the repository of irrational gestures - backdrop ♯ IIII 2019. [Looped video work installed in largescale printed imaged with accompanying lights].

Atherton, M. (2018). Repository of Irrational Gestures (RIGs) ♯ 1 (2018). [Video installation looped video with spasmodic disco lights].

Atherton, M. (2018). Repository of Irrational Gestures (RIGs) 2018. [Single screen video installation (15mins)]. https://www.kunstraum.at/index.php/sammlungen?lang=en

Atherton, M. (2017). ARP (Absorbing red photons) 2016. [Video installation].

Atherton, M., & McCormack, T.C. (2015). Desk Mobile No. II.2015. [A site-specific sculpture].

Exhibitions

Atherton, M. (2005). Missed the boat: selected solo exhibition. [Portfolio]. Millais Gallery, Southampton.

Atherton, M. (2007). Missed the boat II. [Portfolio]. Linnagalerii, Tallinna Kunsiihoone, Tallinn, Estonia.

Atherton, M. (2011). Dreams of flying. [DVD]. Zeppelin Musuem, Friedrichshaven, Germany.

Shaw, B., & Atherton, M. (2013). BRUTE: Test 1: Transmission Symposium. Co-curated with Michelle Atherton. [Live discursive event]. Centre for Creative Collaboration, London, WC1X 9NG. http://creative-collaboration.net/030513-transmission-brute-test-1/

McCormack, T.C., & Atherton, M. (2015). Always doing something, with somebody, somewhere. [Multiple. including DVD, Print, Assemblage, Drawings]. Atelierhaus Salzamt gallery, Linz, Austria.

Atherton, M., & McCormack, T.C. (2016). A Ragged Gesture. Kunstraum, Linz, Austria. http://www.kunstraum.at/

Atherton, M., McCormack, T.C., & Gejl, J. (2018). As Much About Forgetting. [Mixed media]. Viborg Kunsthal, Denmark. https://viborgkunsthal.viborg.dk/UDSTILLINGER/2018/As-much-about-forgetting

Performances

Atherton, M. (2024). Soil Séance Sessions: Season II 2024. Abney Park Cemetery, London, UK & Westfiredhof & Hauptfriedhof, Kassel, Germnay A Participatory Audio Artwork.

Atherton, M. (2024). Common Grave: LIVE Broadcast II 2025. Abney Park Cemetery, London Audio. http://streams.soundtent.org/2024/streams/utc1_-b0a61a79-4996-4706-8cc6-53fe3b1fde4f

Atherton, M. (2023). The Soil Séance Sessions: Listening to the Soil Season 1 2023. Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Haringey, Wandsworth, Sutton & Newham & Vienna & Reichenau an der Rax Audio. https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/c3riimpact/tag/michelle-atherton/

Atherton, M. (2023). Ecstatic Rot LIVE Broadcast 2023. Eden Valley Natural Burial Ground, Kent, UK Audio. http://streams.soundtent.org/2023/streams/utc1_-82d0c6c8-2627-41d5-81b1-e6277c991a62

Atherton, M. (2021). A Celebratory Gathering: Live From the Rowan Tree and the International Space Station. artdorearth; Dartington Hall, UK & Online https://art-earth.org.uk/borrowed-time-a-celebratory-event/

Media

Atherton, M. (2015). ARP III 2015. [Single screen video work].

Presentations

Atherton, M. (2016). Submersive Aesthetics. Presented at: Submersive Aesthetics, University of Texas at Arlington, Dallas, U.S.A

Atherton, M., & McCormack, T.C. (2016). Artists-led organizations: Agency-lab and the era of dissolution. Presented at: International Conference on Opportunities in the Arts: Expanding Worlds, Boston University’s College of Fine Arts

Other activities

I also convene an Extra Curricular group The Informal Gathering offering a spontaneous collective space for interested artists, students, academics and invited guests to engage with radical artistic approaches and methods to explore today’s complex relationship with the environment. An environment that challenges us as artists to experiment, discover, reuse or to leave things hidden. To explore old and new methods of creating, systems, and thinking. To consider not only actions but also inactions. To complicate modern dualisms between culture and nature, between the living bios, and non-living matter of geos (Lyons 2020).

These gatherings offer a space to come together as artists and use experimental methods to materially explore practices and questions provoked by climate change.  Our aim is to wonder about responsibility, awareness, atmospheres, and where we might find the radical potential of carelessness.  Where we mix matter and culture, myth and technology, science and fiction. To test different modes of perception and methods rooted across our practices as tools to re-approach our relations to the worlds in and around us. 

Postgraduate supervision

Completed:
PhD: Jeanine Griffin Aura in the post-digital: a diffraction of the curatorial archive 
MPhil: Jonathan Herring Photographic Exposure: A critique of the shopping centre

Current: 
Daniel Bacchus - Translating Life Experiences into Experiential Narratives Through Designing for Presence in VR
Victoria Lucas - Reclamation Ground: Reconstituting Female Subjectivity through Artistic Practice
Aron Spall - Speculative Memory Renders: Digital Immersion & Interaction with Photographic Practices
Annie Watson - Cinematically reimagining the interiority of Bonjour Tristesse’s female protagonist, Cécile

 

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