Hoaretraits Ep. 6: Zeitgeist Irland 24 artist Sheena McGrandles

Hoaretraits is a series by photographer and podcaster Neil Hoare, that presents contemporary Irish artists that are part of Zeitgeist Irland 24 – the year’s cultural programme of contemporary arts from Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland in Germany. Conceived of by Hoare as ‘audio portraits’, the podcasts explore themes of creativity, imagination and craft in conversation a diverse range of Irish artists living in both Ireland and Germany.

For Episode 6, Neil talks with Sheena McGrandles, a Northern Irish dancer and choreographer based in Berlin. McGrandles is known for her innovative, multi-narrative works that blend movement with humour and hyper-realism. With a background from the Laban Centre in London and HZT/UdK Berlin, she explores radical temporality, using detailed, slowed-down movement to create immersive, thought-provoking landscapes. Her work, often collaborative and politically engaged, examines themes like family, societal roles, and bodily autonomy. As part of Zeitgeist Irland 24, Sheena brought her work ‘DAWN: A Musical on Reproduction’ to the stage in Theater im Depot (Dortmund) and premiered a new work ‘MINT: A Folk Opera’ in HAU (Berlin).

Podcaster Neil Hoare is a multidisciplinary Irish artist living in Berlin with his dog Púca. His most recent photographic work ‘A Heimat away from Home’ is a series of portraits commissioned by the Embassy of Ireland in Germany documenting the Irish who made Germany their home since Ireland joined the EU 50 years ago. The experience of photographing so many people across Germany and hearing their stories led directly to the creation of Hoaretraits.