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Aaron McCarthy

@aaronmccarthy.bsky.social
79 followers 212 following 5 posts

Artist Interdisciplinary PhD: Material Transitions through Time @ RGU Cargo Bike enthusiast NE Scotland aaron-mccarthy.com

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Reposted by Aaron McCarthy
Gareth Watkins @garethwatkins.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Every private vehicle on the roads is a policy failure. A car means that there wasn't a bus, tram or cyclepath that could get a person where they were going, and that's a problem that could be fixed if the political will existed.
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Dundee Cycling Forum @dundeecycling.co.uk · 08/10/2025
Glow Ride is a family-friendly mass cycle on Friday 31 October, starting 4:30pm at Braw Tea Café and finishing Dundee Cycle Hub. Come as you are or go full-on spooky: we’ll have prizes for best costume and best illuminated bike, tunes and a bike party! #OurRideOurRights #GlowRide All are welcome
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History Workshop @historyworkshop.org.uk · 11/09/2025
Aerial archaeology began not in neutral curiosity but in the violence of colonial Syria. Benjamin Thomas White (@btwhite.bsky.social) traces its entanglement with empire.
historyworkshop.org.uk
The Bomber's View of the Past
Discover the influence of Antoine Poidebard on aerial archaeology and his complex role in French colonial history.
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Greg Michaelson @gjmichaelson.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Restoration of one of the trilithons at Stonehenge in 1958. Photo courtesy Mrs H. E. O'Neil. In G. Daniel, A Short History of Archaeology, Thames & Hudson, 1981, p209. @stoneclub.bsky.social
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Aaron McCarthy @aaronmccarthy.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
shifted some Ikea goods today 30km between Dundee + Arbroath with a Bullit + Carla - 90% totally fine - some speed gate issues and daft parking - Arbroath's Places For Everyone Scheme will be fantastic when completed - shame Dundee hasn't got something similar in the city centre/ Perth Road
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The Art Newspaper @theartnewspaper.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Israeli attacks on Palestinian heritage amount to war crimes, UN report finds The independent UN investigative body released the findings last week buff.ly/voMGX1x
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Prof. Nicole Holliday @mixedlinguist.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
A major danger of LLMs is that humans are SO predisposed to attribute knowledge to any entity that uses natural language fluently. We cannot imagine that a machine that outputs natural-seeming speech/text doesn't have cognition. Brilliantly articulated by @emilymbender.bsky.social et al. (2021).
Text generated by an LM is not grounded in communicative intent, any model of the world, or any model of the reader’s state of mind. It can’t have been, because the training data never included sharing thoughts with a listener, nor does the machine have the ability to do that. This can seem counter-intuitive given the increasingly fluent qualities of automatically generated text, but we have to account for the fact that our perception of natural language text, regardless of how it was generated, is mediated by our own linguistic competence and our predisposition to interpret communicative acts as conveying coherent meaning and intent, whether or not they do [89, 140].”
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Dr Izzy Wisher @izzywisher.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
How can we visualise the agency of art and artists in past societies? Mine and @dparrott.bsky.social's session at @tag2025york.bsky.social intends to bring together exciting new research to explore this question! Interested? Why not submit an abstract!✋ 🎨🖌️🏺
ORGANISER(S): Izzy Wisher and Derek Parrott

AFFILIATION: Aarhus University

CONTACT: Izzy Wisher, izzywisher@cas.au.dk

ABSTRACT: 

Art was, and continues to be, an active agent in societies. The first traces of artistic behaviour can be glimpsed in etched patterns produced nearly 100,000 years ago, and flourished into the rich, material culture visible in a wide array of both prehistoric and historic societies. It has the relational power to build new connections between individuals, generate cultural identities, or exert political or religious authority over a population. There have been significant efforts in recent years to shift away from “grand theories” of art – whether typological or narrative in nature – to instead appreciate the dialogical, multisensorial, and distributed engagements of art making and reception. Yet there remains a central challenge. In the fragmentary archaeological evidence of past artistic actions, how can we visualise individual artisans? 

In this session, we intend to bring together a diverse range of perspectives that examine art from a range of spatial and temporal contexts to identify the actions of individual artists in the past. We particularly encourage submissions that have developed new theoretical and high-resolution methodological approaches to address this challenge. Our session will not be limited in period or object type – the organisers themselves specialise in Palaeolithic art (IW) and Viking Age art (DP), but share a common theoretical thread in their conceptions of art. 

Themes could therefore include, but are not limited to:
Material engagements in artistic practices 
Art and agency perspectives 
Craft networks and the role of the artisan
High-resolution digital modelling 
Archaeometric approaches to art
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Dr Izzy Wisher @izzywisher.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Why did Palaeolithic artists decide to produce art on the same walls that someone else had decorated? Do rock art palimpsests reflect dialogues that occurred across tens-of-thousands of years? My new OA paper develops a conceptual framework to explore these dimensions! 👇🏺 doi.org/10.1007/s108...
doi.org
Dialogues Across Time? Conceptualising the Temporal Relationships of Palimpsests in the Upper Palaeolithic Cave Art of El Castillo (Cantabria, Spain) - Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
Cave sites were frequently reused throughout the Upper Palaeolithic, with many sites within south-western Europe having deep chronologies of activity. The repeated engagement with the same caves, or s...
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Adam Tranter @adamtranter.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
We can allow history to repeat itself, and powerful interests to shape our streets in one way. Or we can remember that cities are places where walking, cycling and public transport should be prioritised. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The car made pedestrians second-class citizens. Don’t let driverless vehicles push us off the road altogether | Adam Tranter
If we want autonomous tech to succeed it must be designed to share space with us, rather than forcing us to adapt to it, says former cycling and walking commissioner Adam Tranter
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Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Important thread from Adam here. Public space - especially in towns and cities - isn't just there for the fast, efficient movement of motor vehicles and we mustn't let that motonormative thinking enable another generational landgrab as automated driving slides in
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Aaron McCarthy @aaronmccarthy.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
moved some sculptures with the #cargobike last week from @vadundee.bsky.social to #Arbroath - new bike infrastructure along NCN1 was fantastic @dundeecitycouncil.bsky.social @anguscouncil.bsky.social @sustransscot.bsky.social
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Chica Marx @mckenziewark.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
This is from CAPITAL IS DEAD, five years ago www.versobooks.com/products/887...
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Jack Orchard @jarona7.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Anything by McKenzie Wark - her Gamer Theory, Hacker Manifesto and Raving are all definitive works in their respective fields :) diving into her work on information capitalism and the 'vectoralist' class at the moment - www.e-flux.com/journal/65/3...
e-flux.com
The Vectoralist Class - Journal #65
…
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Dundee Cycling Forum @dundeecycling.co.uk · 28/03/2025
#CritcalMass #Dundee Good turnout!
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Dundee Cycling Forum @dundeecycling.co.uk · 31/03/2025
Next @cyclingscotland.bsky.social to be held in Sunny #Dundee this September!
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Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Edinburgh's Transport Planning Society have a new report out on how they think motonormativity could be tackled in the city tps.org.uk/public/downl...
tps.org.uk
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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
“A small arthouse cinema on Miami Beach faces the possible cancellation of its lease + the loss of $80K in grant $ promised by the city after refusing to cancel screenings of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land (about 🇮🇱’s displacement of 🇵🇸) following rptd intimidation attempts by the mayor.”
hyperallergic.com
Miami Beach Cinema Targeted by Mayor Speaks Out: “We Don’t Want To Leave”
The city is threatening to close O Cinema after it refused to cancel screenings of No Other Land, the Oscar-winning film about Israel’s displacement of Palestinians.
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Anine Hartmann @aninehartmann.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
I think people underestimate how quickly a city can change from a place where cycling feels too dangerous, to a place where it feels safe enough.
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International Cargo Bike Festival @cargobikefest.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Middle Ground is a new, roaming artist residency series based on a cargo bike, starting in summer 2025. Its goal? To bridge divides, bring people together and counter polarisation. 🧵👇
Middle Ground Project graphics. Bullitt cargo bike against the backdrop of a mountain.
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UHI Archaeology Institute @uhiarchaeology.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
We are now accepting students for our MA in Contemporary #Art and #Archaeology programme, which starts in September 2025. #postgraduate #ThinkUHI #Art&Archaeology archaeologyorkney.com/2025/03/13/a...
archaeologyorkney.com
Art and Archaeology masters degree enrolling now for September start - Archaeology Orkney
We are now accepting students for our MA in Contemporary Art and Archaeology programme, which starts in September 2025.
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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
The impact of an actual university failure on a city like Dundee would be catastrophic. One in seven of the termtime population is a student. The uni job losses in this round alone are already on a scale similar to when the Michelin factory in 2020. www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/business-...
thecourier.co.uk
Will Dundee’s economy withstand the university’s job cuts hammer blow?
The Courier's business editor Rob McLaren reacts to the devastating jobs news.
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Momentum Magazine @momentummag.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Two Key Safe Cycling Routes Show Massive Increase in Use. momentummag.com/two-key-safe...
momentummag.com
Two Key Safe Cycling Routes Show Massive Increase in Use
Recent traffic data from Cycling Scotland shows the success of two central cycle routes in Glasgow and Edinburgh
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The War on Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
New episode ! We talked with the delightful British journalist and author Laura Laker about her odyssey on the UK's National Cycle Network, what makes good cycling infrastructure, and her work in setting standards for how reporters & cops talk about traffic crashes. thewaroncars.org/2025/03/11/e...
A smiling white woman wearing jeans and a black jacket rides a bright pink bicycle on a city street.
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Chica Marx @mckenziewark.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
My unpopular opinion is that driving a car destroys your personality.
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Aaron McCarthy @aaronmccarthy.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
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UHI Archaeology Institute @uhiarchaeology.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Another online event on March 25, will focus on the UHI’s Postgraduate and Research Creative programmes, including our MA Contemporary Art and Archaeology. #ThinkUHI #Art&Archaeology #Postgraduate archaeologyorkney.com/2025/03/03/c...
archaeologyorkney.com
Learn more about postgrad/research creative programmes - including our MA Art and Archaeology - Archaeology Orkney
Another online event on March 25, will focus on the UHI’s Postgraduate and Research Creative programmes, including our MA Contemporary Art and Archaeology.
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Sam Jennings @samflower.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Deeply concerning issues with the next round of rail consultations- we need @heidialexander.bsky.social to act NOW We simply cannot allow people to continue to be #DisabledByTheRailway - it’s PUBLIC TRANSPORT! abcommuters.com/2025/02/28/n...
abcommuters.com
New Campaign: Ministers must restore public interest duties to Great British Railways consultation
The Association of British Commuters, Disabled People Against Cuts, National Pensioners Convention, and National Federation of the Blind of the UK have made their first challenge to the Secretary o…
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ETA @etainsurance.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
The gender gap in cycling isn’t about preference - it’s about safety, infrastructure, and a country that has somehow managed to make the act of riding a bike on many roads feel as appealing as volunteering as a human traffic cone on the M25. www.eta.co.uk/news/the-gre...
eta.co.uk
The Great British Bike Divide: Why are so few women and girls cycling? | ETA
women cycling
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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Feb 24, 8pm, online: “Join AK Press and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics to celebrate the launch of artist and advocate Rasheedah Phillips’s expansive new book, Dismantling the Master’s Clock: On Race, Space, and Time (AK Press 2025).” dismantlingmastersclocklaunch.splashthat.com
Book cover: background depicts a clock face, on top of which is layered cardiographic and geometric diagrams. The book title is written in white metallic text on a black circle; it reads: dismantling the masters clock: on race, space, and time.
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Adam Tranter @adamtranter.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
A brilliant article on how promoting road schemes (dualling, extensions, bypasses) appear as logical technical solutions but sustainable transport schemes are framed as political choices. open.substack.com/pub/omerbor/...
open.substack.com
It’s time to depoliticise sustainable transportation
How roads became 'Technical' and bike lanes became 'Political', and what to do about it.
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V&A Dundee @vadundee.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Episode two is now live! 🎙️ We're joined by Aaron McCarthy, Frank McElhinney, Becky Little & Tom Morton and together they discuss their work on how environments adapt and show resilience in the face of environmental, social and economic change. Listen here: va.scot/3X7ToTs
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Bobby Jewell @bobbyjewell.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Great to be part of Dundee Radio Club listening festival this weekend. With Neil Mcguire we've put together a show called House Language about modern domesticity, housing crisis and what we value in our homes - have a listen dundeeradio.club
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Aaron McCarthy @aaronmccarthy.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
I have a small sound work transmitting as part of the dundeeradio.club this weekend - feat. the voices of Alison Scott, Hayley Dawson and Maria Blom - listen in for some field recordings from neolithic sites on Orkney, ios moogs, quotes, ferry sounds and buses 👁️👂🪨🚌⛴️🌀🌬️
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V&A Dundee @vadundee.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Dundee Radio Club's 48-hour listening festival is this weekend 🎧🎶 We're so excited that the Young People's Collective podcast has been included in the line-up too! You can listen here from 7-9 Feb: dundeeradio.club
dundeeradio.club
dundeeradioclub
cargo.site
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Gair Dunlop @gair.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
energyethics.st-andrews.ac.uk/energy-in-mo... Energy in Motion invites scholars, artists, writers, organisers, and the public, to come together to share innovative scholarly work, to collaborate beyond disciplinary boundaries, and to embark on new creative co-creations. June 8-10 at V and A Dundee
energyethics.st-andrews.ac.uk
Energy in Motion: Call for Abstracts | Energy Ethics
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Catherine Wykes @cathybabes.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
@dundeecycling.co.uk First Critical Mass of 2025 - chilly but at least the fog held off till we were done!
Three people with bikes in front of Caird Hall, Dundee, about to set off for a Critical Mass ride
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max asher miller @maxashermiller.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
For SlashGear, I wrote about how David Lynch revealed the darkness of America's addiction to cars www.slashgear.com/1775247/davi...
slashgear.com
David Lynch Left Us A Warning About America's Car Culture - SlashGear
David Lynch left behind a long legacy of cinematic innovation, but not everyone realizes how deeply intertwined car culture was to his filmmaking.
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Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Fred Moten said "The coalition emerges out of your recognition that it’s fucked up for you, in the same way that we’ve already recognized that it’s fucked up for us. I don’t need your help. I just need you to recognize that this shit is killing you, too, however much more softly."
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
In case you missed this: the discussion around delivery rider behaviour/illegal ebike use too often ignores wider economic pressures, including from the app-based delivery model. We discuss that, plus how the tech has morphed to be even worse for riders, with a fascinating guest
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Chica Marx @mckenziewark.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
Curious parallel: at the same time we are encouraged to extend personhood to “AI” while personhood is being withdrawn from trans ppl, the undocumented, and so on.
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