In Dreams of Hyperborea, Petrina Shortt explores the imaginative and ecological potential of a wild marine forest in West Cork. Central to her work is Luminaria hyperborea, a species of kelp common along the Atlantic coast whose name evokes the mythical land of Hyperborea — a realm of abundant wildness and unbounded possibility.
During her residency at the Bantry Marine Research Station, Petrina studied the cultivation of seaweed and marine organisms within controlled scientific environments. These methodical observations stand in vivid contrast to her underwater encounters with the untamed kelp forests of Dunmanus Bay.
Bringing these two worlds together, her paintings and sculptures envision a future in which the wildness of Hyperborea resurfaces — a place where scientific knowledge, ecological wonder, and myth intermingle. Through this blending of research and imagination, Petrina invites viewers to consider how marine landscapes might evolve, endure, and dream beyond the limits of the present.