“Love is Blindly Reaching Out: A Multispecies Romance Explored in New Exhibition”
Belfast – The latest manifestation of the world of Xenophon, a collaborative world-building project by McGibbon O’Lynn, has arrived in the form of an exhibition titled “Love is Blindly Reaching Out”. Rooted in the fictional world of the Xenothorpians, a fluid species that mutates across vegetal, human, and ecological entanglement, the exhibition delves into the complexities of love and intimacy beyond traditional boundaries.
The artistic duo, Maeve O’Lynn and Siobhán McGibbon, were inspired by the idea of multispecies romance and how it transcends species and sexual limitations. The project explores the various forms of love, from flings to courtships, and how they intersect with the natural world.
Influenced by the gamification of dating in modern society, the artists question the impact of reducing love to strategy, speed, and surface. They draw parallels between 1960s TV shows like “The Dating Game”, 1990s board games such as “Dream Phone”, and today’s swipe-based apps like Tinder and Bumble, which often reinforce transactional and disposable dynamics. “Love is Blindly Reaching Out” challenges this shift and encourages a radical reimagining of connection, towards a more expansive and inclusive form of love and relationality.
The exhibition invites the audience to participate in a multispecies dating game through ritual, material, and speculative storytelling. It poses the question: what new intimacies can arise when we break free from traditional species boundaries in love?
Maeve O’Lynn, a writer, filmmaker, and researcher based in Belfast, and Siobhán McGibbon, a visual artist and researcher based in Cork, have collaborated to bring this thought-provoking project to life.
This project is made possible with support from the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Derry City & Strabane District Council, and Cork County Council.
For more information on “Love is Blindly Reaching Out”, please visit CCADLD.org/exhibitions. Image courtesy of Siobhán McGibbon.
