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Mark Sheerin

@criticismism

Blogging on art since 2009 at criticismism.com and travel since 2023 at marksheerin.substack.com. See also The Arts Desk, Hyperallergic, Plaster and Disability Arts Online. Core interests: prehistoric caves, replicas, representations, immersive art, XR.

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Latest posts by Mark Sheerin @criticismism

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A dancefloor outside Delhi Getting to experience a big fat India wedding

And this new post on my travel blog about two days spent at an Indian wedding

04.03.2026 10:39 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Behold the bioscope – criticismism

New post on my art blog about a cinematic attraction in a New Delhi market

04.03.2026 10:38 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
The cave is basically the data safe: interview with Julius von Bismarck – criticismism

criticismism.com/the-cave-is-...

23.02.2026 17:34 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Notes from overground, CAVE immersive environment at Coventry University

criticismism.com/cave-in-the-...

04.02.2026 16:20 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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In Africa, this Christmas time A yule-travelogue from the capital of Sierra Leone

Do they know it's Christmas? The question is finally answered

25.01.2026 16:55 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Don't miss the interactive photo-widget. Next-level public presentation of scientific findings!

21.01.2026 17:14 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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A visit to the island of no return Bunce Island was Sierra Leone's most infamous slave trading post

New travelogue dropped

21.01.2026 13:07 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Play it again and again: Rick’s CafΓ© in Casablanca – criticismism

criticismism.com/play-it-agai...

12.01.2026 21:21 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A roulette table in a swish 1940s themed bar

A roulette table in a swish 1940s themed bar

Casablanca (1942) in person on my art blog criticismism. It's my latest encounter with an immersive environment and a highlight to a recent layover in Morocco.

12.01.2026 21:20 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Congratulations Nnena Kalu! – criticismism

A thought about last night's historic annoucement in art...

10.12.2025 10:17 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
graphic design of falling man in suit, whose face has been replaced with a smiley made of dollar signs

graphic design of falling man in suit, whose face has been replaced with a smiley made of dollar signs

New Mark Fisher film by Close and Remote just dropped. See what I thought and stream it for not many $s

09.12.2025 19:16 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Here I look like I've stepped into a ZX Spectrum game, specifically, this ZX Spectrum game. Tir na Nog..

04.11.2025 18:00 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Vietnom Dining our way round the Land of the Rising Dragon

If you like travel (armchair or economy class), perhaps you will like my substack. Here's a new post, about Vietnamese streetfood

02.11.2025 21:23 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Dutch sand artist draws images on Walton-on-the-Naze beach Gert-Jan Van Der Kooij uses virtual reality goggles and a rake for his drawings on the Essex beach.

Unusual use of VR buried here under some sand

29.10.2025 14:07 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Superstar content provider A.R. Rahman and an immersive brand experience at the O2

You're never too big to look this small. We saw A.R. Rahman at the O2.

27.10.2025 15:42 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A black female artist works constructing sculptures made by wrapping coloured material around into large objects

A black female artist works constructing sculptures made by wrapping coloured material around into large objects

From the margins to the UK's biggest art prize: @criticismism.bsky.social reflects on the significance and brilliance of Nnena Kalu’s Turner Prize exhibition.

disabilityarts.online/magazine/rev...

24.10.2025 15:02 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Palatial waters Drinking in the lakeside charms of Udaipur in India

Travel notes from Rajasthan

23.10.2025 19:58 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Weaving Memory: Dhaqan Collective on The Aqal (House of Weaving Songs) - ART AFRICA Magazine In conversation with Somali artists Ayan Cilmi and Fozia Ismail, art writer Mark Sheerin explores a travelling home for nomadic culture, community, and song. Dhaqan Collective, House of Weaving Songs,...

I also made it to Blackburn, for British Textile Biennial 2025, to immerse myself in a nomadic home for Somali musical culture

22.10.2025 12:29 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review - Nnena Kalu’s Turner Prize exhibition: resplendent in the pleasures of process ActionSpace artist, Nnena Kalu has made a splash by being nominated for the 2025 Turner Prize as a learning-disabled artist. Mark Sheerin reflects on the significance and brilliance of her Turner Priz...

I've given an account of Nnena Kalu's remarkable and hopeful showing at Cartwright Hall, Bradford, in this year's Turner Prize

22.10.2025 12:26 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Tunnels in Vietnam Our history lesson on, and under, the ground

Detail from a drawing seen in Hanoi over summer. We also did the Ben Duoc tunnel experience, which I'd recommend training for! Anyhow, I've written about the war, the VC and the present in Vietnam, a remarkable land.

09.10.2025 11:16 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Five wanderers above the sea of fog A family trip to the cloudy Himalayas

If you've ever wondered what it might be like to go to Sikkim, read on:

06.10.2025 17:05 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Three people stand within the centre of an 180-degree screen-based installation which has the projected image of three deaf performers on it

Three people stand within the centre of an 180-degree screen-based installation which has the projected image of three deaf performers on it

Deaf Heritage takes centre stage in @cathymager.bsky.social’s work, Finger Talk at Wellcome Collection.

Read @criticismism.bsky.social's review ↓
disabilityarts.online/magazine/rev...

26.08.2025 11:00 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Folkestone Triennial 2025 - landscape, seascape, art lovers' escape A rare cloud form envelopes the headland and to the east and the west Folkestone is cut off from the known world. This mist shortens the visual range, drawing attention to the chalky soil, the sea gor...

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… #FolkestoneTriennial 2025 - Landscape, seascape, art lovers' escape: this locally rooted festival brings home many but not all global concerns, says Mark Sheerin @criticismism.bsky.social #CreativeFolkestone theartsdesk.com/visual-arts/...

04.08.2025 15:33 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

A strange, sad and mildly shocking tale from a cave in Goa

16.07.2025 08:43 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I've written an account of the Barbican's VR rave experience: I hope my review is the next best thing to the next best thing to being there back in the day.

01.07.2025 16:34 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Have We Reached the XR Tipping Point? High-quality devices are now powerful and affordable enough to enable truly compelling experiences

Something Mother Shipton might not have predicted, XR industry set to double in value over next three years. Same upward trajectory as Immersive Experiences.

30.06.2025 09:45 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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North Yorkshire cave and 'unique' well are England's oldest tourist attractions 'Magical' Mother Shipton's Cave and 'unique' Petrifying Well in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, are England's oldest tourist attractions.

Prophetess Mother Shipton had a pretty badass start in life: born, during a thunderstorm, in a cave.

30.06.2025 09:38 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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From niche to a billion pound industry: How immersive events have taken over Despite times being financially tough post-pandemic, the continued popularity of experience events could indicate consumers are being a little more choosy about what they spend their hard-earned wages...

Immersive experiences offer developers a 'gold rush'. These numbers are amazing.

26.06.2025 09:52 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Over 100 prehistoric structures discovered in Spanish cave Over 100 prehistoric structures discovered in Spanish cave

Word of the day: 'speleofact' - a (usually small) structure made out of broken stalactites and stalagmites

06.06.2025 11:22 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

BRADFORD CITY OF CULTURE 2025 - Changes in a landscape, assessed by Mark Sheerin @criticismism.bsky.social as he catches art in all forms @bradford2025.bsky.social, encountering the #Brontes #TSEliot @davidhockney.bsky.social & contemporaries, local and visiting www.theartsdesk.com/visual-arts/...

03.06.2025 11:19 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0