here and there

PS³ will host the launch of Ben Malcolmson’s first self-published artist book with significant photographic installation in the space. ‘here and there’ presents five years of photographic work captured around Ireland, and sections of Europe (2019-2024). 

The street-facing photographic installation will feature images from the artist book printed in radical scales, from wall-sized to handheld, a new series of collage works will also be installed. A core part of this exhibition is the outreach engagement, Ben will facilitate (with the assistance of Emma Spreadborough) a workshop with a selected group of creative practitioners, writers and designers from Ireland, England, Wales and North America. The participants will explore interests in the field of expanded image media, within publications, exploring and contributing to a wider discourse of artist books within Ireland now.

Generously supported by The Eaton Fund.  

Group workshop participants:

Emma Spreadborough, Alexander Stubbs, Jess Raymond, Abby Poulson, Drew Leventhal, Cian Pawle-Bates, filming support by Cathal Donnelly.

Ben Malcolmson, b.1999, born Belfast & based in Dublin, Ireland

Ben Malcolmson is a visual artist and curator. His fine art practice explores the boundaries of photography, video, and sculpture using alternative photographic processes related to land and identity. His curatorial interests focus on social engagement and activism through a public-centred approach, especially for young people. 

Emma Spreadborough, b. 2000, is an Irish artist based in Belfast. 

Working mainly in photographic media, her work focuses on the landscape of Ireland in the wake of recent history. Influenced by Irish Literature, history and folklore, she explores the supernatural and otherworldly within the home and outdoors. Emma graduated with First Class Honours from the BA Photography in the Arts course at Swansea College of Art (2020-23).

Alexander Stubbs, b. 1997, born in Walsall and working in Hull, UK.

Alexander is a creative practitioner working primarily in text-based and collaborative practice. He explores the ways in which text, images, and archives can be reanimated in new contexts and has a particular interest in alternative economies and community-building practices. He often works with other artists to deliver workshops, reading groups, projects, and community events outside of traditional educational settings.

Abby Poulson, b. 1998, is a visual artist and curator from and based in Wales.

Her artistic practice explores themes of cultural heritage and rurality, often rooted in the landscape and identity of Wales. Through personal research and inquiry, she works across disciplines, combining lens-based media, analogue processes, and experimental techniques to foster a deeper understanding of place.

Drew Leventhal, b. 1995, is a photographer from the United States. 

His practice is informed by his upbringing and training in anthropology. Through photography, Drew sees the possibility for connection and mutual understanding. Each image becomes an ongoing dialogue and search for meaning. Through investigations of ritual, colonial history, and the delineations of landscape, Drew is interested in what it means to be human.

 Drew received a BFA in Anthropology from Vassar College and received an MFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has shown work at galleries and museums across the United States. He has been a finalist for the Aperture Portfolio Prize, the Film Photo Award, and the PhMuseum Grant. Drew was the 2022 Lenscratch Student Prize and was previously a National Geographic Young Explorer. He is currently a 2025-2026 Fulbright scholar in Ireland.

Cian Pawle-Bates, b. 1994, born & based in Dublin, Ireland
Cian Pawle-Bates is a graphic designer and ephemera collector with a love for tactile artefacts of subcultures past and present. Having grown up online, he examines pockets of recent culture which have ‘fallen through the cracks’ of the digital age and remain undocumented and misrepresented. His interdisciplinary design practice ranges from digital and motion graphics to printed publications. Many of these printed works act as catalogues and visual essays accompanying other artists’ work.

Jess Raymon, b.1985, born Canada & based in Dublin, Ireland

 Jess Raymon is a writer. Her fiction explores the psychology of delusion, scaling beneath the lies we tell ourselves and others to extract the nuggets of emotion hiding below. In recent years she’s collaborated with visual artists on a shoreline creature centred projects exploring vulnerability, place and shame. She’s currently writing and producing a play on funeral floristry. 

Cathal Donnelly, b.2002, born Vancouver, Canada & based in Dundalk, Ireland.

 Cathal Donnelly is an aspiring photographer & videographer. Studying film & television in Dundalk Institute of Technology. His artistic works tend to follow that of a surrealist or uncanny nature. Whereas the day to day works feature portrait photography and videography, filming interviews and personal showcases of other creatives, to help push the general narratives that other artists seek to spread. 

Director of Photography;

Photo Museum Ireland (Interview Series)

How Did We Get Here (Short film)

An Ode to Noise (Short Documentary)

Ar Teanga (Short Documentary)

DKIT Live (YouTube based live show)

Image

Ben Malcolmson: here and there, 2025