Floating Dialogues

Floating Dialogues was a temporary public artwork and participatory platform designed by artist Seoidin O'Sullivan for Forecast, a county-wide initiative exploring the future of five towns across County Kilkenny.

Installed on the River Barrow in Graiguenamanagh, the modular swimming raft functioned as a space for dialogue, play, and gathering. Anchored within the river, it invited residents and visitors to experience the town from a different perspective while encouraging conversations about the relationship between the river, the built environment, and the future of the town.

Over a weekend in October 2014, the raft became the focal point for a series of public events, including a community raft-building workshop with Graiguenamanagh Scouts Club, a public launch on the River Barrow, a riverside ecology walk led by Mary White of Blackstairs Eco Trails, and a shared autumn feast by the water. Together, these activities fostered new encounters with the landscape and created opportunities for collective reflection and exchange.

Forecast was a participatory project delivered across five Kilkenny towns between September and December 2014. Developed by Hollie Kearns and Rosie Lynch in collaboration with Kilkenny LEADER Partnership and the Forward Planning Department of Kilkenny County Council, the project invited local communities to contribute ideas and imagine future possibilities for their towns through creative engagement and public participation.