Fieldwork Commissioning
Aishling Muller works with selected organisations, research teams, institutions, publications and aligned partners on field-based projects concerned with landscape, environmental transformation and ecological change.
Working across photography, moving image and artistic research, each project develops through sustained observation, pattern recognition, embodied encounter and independent artistic response. The work is shaped by the conditions of the place, the questions being explored and what emerges through the fieldwork.
Commissioned Fieldwork · Editorial Visual Storytelling · Research Collaboration · Archive and Licensing
Is this a fit?
Fieldwork commissions are particularly suited to organisations and publications exploring environmental transition, landscape change, ecological processes, material systems and relationships between people and place.
A project may be a good fit when:
- the subject benefits from sustained or repeated observation
- a landscape or community is undergoing visible or less visible change
- research, access or local knowledge can inform the visual work
- the brief allows for an authored artistic response rather than a predetermined visual formula
- photography may need to work alongside moving image, sound, writing or other forms.
Every enquiry is considered individually, with attention to artistic fit, environmental and ethical alignment, access, working conditions, authorship and the intended use of the work.
How a Commission Develops
1. Initial Conversation
We begin with the subject, location, research question, intended audience, proposed timeframe and available budget. This conversation establishes whether the project and working approach are appropriately aligned.
2. Research and Access
The project is developed through relevant background research, conversations, archive material and practical planning. Access, permissions, environmental considerations and relationships with participating people or organisations are identified at this stage.
3. Fieldwork and Development
The work develops through direct engagement with the location or subject. Depending on the project, this may involve repeated visits, an extended period in the field or work conducted alongside researchers, communities or institutional partners.
4. Editing and Delivery
The material is edited and developed in relation to the agreed context and outputs. Photography may be accompanied by moving image, sound, writing, research material or a presentation where these strengthen the project.
Before work begins, the scope, schedule, access requirements, fees, expenses, authorship, licensing, credits and intended deliverables are agreed in writing.
Fieldwork in Motion
Possible Commissions and Outputs
Commissioned Fieldwork
New photographic, moving-image or interdisciplinary work developed through sustained engagement with a landscape undergoing ecological or environmental transformation.
Research and Institutional Collaboration
Field-based artistic work developed in dialogue with universities, researchers, environmental organisations, scientific teams and cultural institutions.
Editorial Visual Storytelling
Authored visual responses for publications and cultural platforms, developed through observation, research and direct encounter with the subject.
Archive and Licensing
Selected existing photography and moving-image work available for appropriate editorial, publishing, research, educational and exhibition use.
Typical Outputs
Depending on the project, deliverables may include:
an edited photographic series
moving-image or field-recording material
publication-ready visual assets
written or visual research material
exhibition or installation material
image or film licensing
project documentation
an artist talk, screening or contextual presentation.
Selected Fieldwork
These independently initiated and field-led projects demonstrate the sustained observation, research and visual development that inform Muller’s approach to commissioned work.
Ancient Matter / Present Form
Iceland · 2015–2024
Volcanic, geothermal, glacial & coastal landscapes considered as stages within a longer material passage - eruption, cooling rock, ice, melt, erosion & sediment.
Ephemeral Ice / Eternal Water
Scoresby Sund, East Greenland · 2015
A brief human passage through an Arctic environment, setting movement and human scale against ice, water and geological time.
Transient Flame / Enduring Ash
North Evia, Greece · 2021–2023
Repeated encounters with landscapes affected by the 2021 wildfires, tracing the coexistence of damage, memory and ecological regeneration.
Living Grain / Lasting Timber
Ireland and Sweden · ongoing
An enquiry into managed woodland as habitat, resource, infrastructure & lived environment, developed through repeated encounters & close proximity.
Relevant Experience and Recognition
Based in Ireland · Working Internationally
Tomorrow’s Air - Artist for Air
Arts for Social Change Collective (UK) - Co-founder
Patagonia PRO Community - Member
Magnum in Motion, New York - Internship & professional development
Tokyo International Foto Award - Honourable Mention, FA Landscape
FÍSL - Member of the Icelandic Contemporary Photography Association
Discuss a Fieldwork Project
Projects may begin with an existing story, an archive enquiry, a landscape, a research question or a place requiring sustained visual investigation.
For editorial assignments, commissioned fieldwork, image licensing and institutional collaborations, please provide the available details below. Fields marked * are required
Currently considering selected fieldwork commissions, research collaborations, editorial projects, licensing enquiries and institutional partnerships for 2026–27.