FREE Arts and Culture of the South East Winter 08-09
Reviews
Red Kettle’s ‘Climb’ Austin McQuinn at the Butler Gallery Wexford Opera Festival
Rarely Seen Above Ground Molly Keane Short Story Winner Delta Centre, Carlow
contents Contributors David Banner Ita Morrissey Suzanne Walsh James Hyde CSL Parker William Lyons Helen Gaynor Photography Micheal Kelly John Crowley Alexandre Iseli Ross Costigan Front Cover Rarely Seen Above Ground’s Jeremy Hickey Photo: Michael Kelly Design www.designassociates.ie Editor Brendan Maher start welcomes contributions from writers in the South-East area. Please contact the editor in advance, at the address below. startmagazine The Heritage Centre, Main Street Cashel, Co. Tipperary Email startmagazine@eircom.net Web www.startmagazine.ie Thanks to all at the Heritage Centre and Town Council in Cashel for their support. start is published by startmagazine limited © startmagazine 2009 Printed by Lionprint, Cashel www.lionprint.ie start is supported by South Tipperary County Council and Cashel Town Council.
02 Editorial 03 News: A round- up of what’s going on and coming up in the cultural arena in the South-east over the next few months. 05 Lost In Thought: William Lyons looks at the viewpoints of how our consciousness developed. 06 Art in the Community: John Ryan, Art Therapist at the Delta Centre in Carlow tells us about his work. 10 Dancers in Residence in South Tipperary: Alexandre Iseli and Jazmin Chiodi outline their programme for 2009. 12 Short Story: start features the winner of the Molly Keane Memorial Creative Writing Award in 2008 – ‘It’s Hard to Die in Springtime’ by Susan Knight. 16 Rarely Seen Above Ground: Ita Morrissey profiles drum stylist Jeremy Hickey and listens to his new album ‘Organic Sampler’. 19 Reviews: Red Kettle’s ‘Climb’, ‘Top Girls’ from Galloglass Theatre Company, ‘The Mines of Sulphur’ at Wexford Opera Festival, Austin McQuinn at the Butler Gallery, ‘Beyond’ at Wexford Arts Centre and Devious Theatre’s radio play ‘War Of The Worlds’.
editorial Don’t jump! It's just the eighties again. Bruno Ganz offers an angelic gaze over Berlin in Wim Wender’s ‘Wings Of Desire’.
T
he media is of course, very excited about the recession as it offers a swathe of new subject mat ter to be writ ten and chat tered about. Presenters and journalists who will only feel the distant breeze of a storm that batters others, offer advice and tips about how to withstand the inclement economic weather and speak with a feverish sagacity about fiscal policy, falling stock prices and rising unemployment, heady as each new figure is brought to them The shorthand for all this is that the whole place will revert back to the ’80’s again – a ‘horrible time’ that spawned U2, The Smiths, ‘American Psycho’, ‘The Name of the Rose’, ‘Raging Bull’, ‘Wings of Desire’ and ‘Do The Right Thing’ to name but a few. Which is to say that a given time period doesn’t exist as an economic entity alone. It operates on numerous different levels that intersect and interact, economically, culturally and spiritually. These levels move at different rates, catching up, slowing down, but always in concord together however distant. True too, that the ’80’s forced us to look closely at our own social policies and ideology, that we were unable to make clear decisions and prevaricate
start 0
about basic rights suggested an immaturity inherent in a relatively new nation. Which is to say too that this period will offer a struggle – numerous challenges that will require us to be imaginative, creative and brave; all the things one would wish for in a child. The media too should be imaginative and not drift into a natural tendency of gloom. The words and chatter should create new paths and shine a light on solutions that are sustainable into the long term. The arts obviously don’t exist at a remove to the economic climate. The isolation that many artists and arts organisations feel, will be exacerbated by the blunt force applied by funders in cutbacks over 2009. But again, this is where the creative community exhibits its creativity. A sector that is always underfunded must go back to basics again. It may not be pretty, but who knows what will be created? Brendan Maher Editor start is now available on-line at www.startmagazine.ie
S
econd Age Theatre brings a refurbished ‘King Lear’ to the refurbished Wexford Opera House opening on January 28th and running until the 30th. The play is set in contemporary Dublin; a conflict is forged in the city, gangsters have taken over and tragedy ensues for one family. Royal Shakespeare Company member Donnacadh O’Briain directs, with Gerard Murphy as Lear and Catherine Cusack in the role of Goneril. See www.secondage.com for more tour details
S
cottish singer Eddi Reader comes to Wexford Arts Centre on February 25th. Reader won acclaim as part of Fairground Attraction whose song ‘Perfect’ was synched to many adverts in the 1990’s. Since then she has forged a successful solo career with a number of well-received albums both here and on the other side of the Atlantic. In 2003 she released an album set to the works of Scottish National poet Robert Burns. Expect honeyed singing and warm folk-driven melodies in her Wexford concert. Go to www.wexfordartscentre.com for more details
start 0
news
T
he Waterford Film Festival was held in November and included fifteen features and documentaries and over fifty short films. WInners in the various categories included for Best Feature, the Dutch psychological drama ‘Blind Spot’. Best Documentary was Gabriel Murray's film about adventurer and explorer Mitchell Hedges – ‘The Lost World of the Crystal Skull’. Irish winners included Louis McCullagh’s sensitive first short ‘The Morning News’. More news and winners from: www.waterfordfilmfestival.com
news
C
Photo: Ross Costigan
olleen Gormley from Claudy, Co. Derry received first prize at this years Clonmel Song Contest in November with her song entitled ‘A Place Called Love’ She pipped Derek Ryan from Miltown Co. Carlow with his piece ‘Swift’ and Tom Williams from Cardiff came third with ‘But What about the Future?’ You can hear and see the ar tists when you visit www.theplatformtv.com
U B
enjamin Black’s new novel ‘The Lemur’ is actually more a novella. In the slim tome (American edition pictured), which was published in September, Black has bypassed developing the protagonist of his first two books - Quirke - and written a novel based in contemporary New York about a man writing a biography of his father-in-law, a CIA chief. As in the previous books, dark secrets and family terrors are uncovered. The book is published by Picador and you can read more about the author and his work on www.benjaminblackbooks.com
start 0
pdate: Following on from last quarter’s film issue, Young Irish Film-makers in Kilkenny shot and completed a feature over the summer. The film entitled ‘The Suitors’ had a three-week shoot and was to be edited and completed by Christmas. start heartily approves of the inspiration behind the movie – Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and The Little Tramp himself. ‘The Suitors’ was written and directed by Stephen Colfer and Mike Kelly. More on www.yifm.com. And Mycrofilms have a new episode of their web-distributed detective series ‘Vultures’. Episode Three is entitled 'The Mystery Of The Night Time Refuse', and is available to view on the website (www.vulturespi.com) or through iTunes. They also recently wrapped on Episode Four and this will be available soon
T
ipperariana, the annual bookfest held in Fethard, Co. Tipperary takes place on the second Sunday in February. It’s a lovely event with a chance to buy anything from a tatty paperback worth fifty cents to something more expensive, perhaps of the antique variety. Venue is Fethard Ballroom and updates can be had from www.fethard.com
Philosophy William Lyons probes the great mystery of consciousness.
I
n his notebooks, written during the middle years of the 19th century, Charles Darwin puzzled not merely over the origin of species but about the emergence of consciousness. However Darwin acknowledged that he had made little headway in regard to the latter problem and described consciousness as mysterious. “Darwin’s bulldog”, Thomas Huxley, who vigorously championed Darwin and Wallace’s theory of evolution, put it more pungently: “But what consciousness is, we know not; and how it is that anything so remarkable as a state of consciousness comes about as the result of irritating nervous tissue, is just as unaccountable as the appearance of the Djin [or genie] when Aladdin rubbed his lamp in the story”. One and half centuries later, we do not seem to have advanced any further in explaining how, quite late in the evolutionary day, consciousness suddenly appeared. Contemporary philosophers have distinguished two problems in regard to the emergence of consciousness. They speak of the “easy problem”, which they believe brain scientists will eventually solve, as the problem of unravelling the intricate complex of physical brain processes that form the neurophysiological and biochemical basis of consciousness. Of course this problem is ‘easy’ only in comparison with its twin, the “hard problem”. The “hard problem” is the problem of explaining how, when we are awake or at least dreaming, brain processing gives rise to consciousness as its product. Why then is the emergence of consciousness from brain processing such an intimidatingly hard problem for our scientific understanding? The answer seems to lie in the extraordinary and perhaps unique nature of consciousness that is explained most usefully in terms of the distinction between subjective and objective. We say that some thing or process is ‘objective’ in two senses. First, we say it is “ontologically objective” (‘ontos’ is the ancient Greek word for ‘existence’) when it has an existence wholly independent from us. Thus Rex, the dog next door, is “ontologically objective”. He exists independently of you or me or the postman. Rex could
start
live on after your or my or the postman’s death. Second, we say something is “epistemologically objective” (‘episteme’ is the Greek word for ‘knowledge’) when our method of coming to know about it is open to two or more observers. Thus the postman can observe and so come to know about Rex just as well as you or I can. Indeed we can all, independently, see and hear and, if close enough, smell Rex and then later compare notes. However, with consciousness and its contents (our thoughts, images, feelings, sensations), the matter is completely different. We enter that strange other world of “subjective ontology” and “subjective epistemology”. For example, my current feeling of queasiness ( I think the prawns I ate were “off”) only ever exists in one subject, in my stream of consciousness, and then only if and when I’m alive and not asleep or not in a coma. Tomorrow you may feel queasy but this will be your feeling and not mine, and for all we know quite different. Thus a feeling, like any other transient inhabitant of someone’s stream of consciousness, has only and essentially a “subjective ontology”. In addition consciousness has only a “subjective epistemology”. For it is also the case that neither the postman nor anyone else can observe my queasiness or, to put it another way, my queasiness is not open to objective observation. My GP might tell me what might have caused my queasiness and give me a clinical description of the sorts of dull aches or feelings of constriction that queasiness usually involves, but only I can observe my present queasiness directly, though here the term‘observe’ is used metaphorically as there is no inner eye nor any need of one. For part of the extraordinary nature of consciousness is that, in so far as something is conscious, then ipso facto it is known to the subject or person whose consciousness it is. Now consciousness becomes a bugbear, a bogey and a barrier to scientific investigation for the simple fact that, by its very nature, science employs an objective epistemology to investigate things with an objective ontology. The scopes and scanners of science are only good for observing things in our universe that, given the theory of the “Big Bang and Afters”, are presumed to be physical in nature and so have an “objective ontology”. So, with consciousness, philosophy and science are faced with an embarrassing dilemma. They must either say that consciousness alone is out of step with the rest of the cosmos in that it is physical yet has a “subjective ontology”, or else they must say it is not physical but nevertheless has somehow evolved from an otherwise wholly physical cosmos. Both horns of the dilemma give them, and us, an intellectual headache of cosmic proportions!
start 0
Interview Brendan Maher
The Delta Centre in Carlow works with people with disabilities and part of that work involves Art projects. start talked with Art Therapist at the Centre, John Ryan.
comm art in the
start 0
start: Tell me a little about the Delta Centre and how it was set up. John Ryan: Eileen Brophy, Director of Services initially founded the centre in 1989 and has worked with a large, varied and dedicated staff team to develop it over the years, where it now comprises of numerous services for those with varying disabilities. It was established as a result of an identifying need in the County Carlow area for a facility which would offer a specific group of people with different needs, an environment in which their individual needs for Development, Education, Learning, Training and Activation are met. In Delta, the ethos is that of a co-operative spirit among staff, trainees and parents/ guardians. Delta is a training centre with numerous services for those with a range of disabilities. It provides training and residential respite, day and multi-sensory services to adults with learning disabilities. Services include: supported employment, a residential programme, a multi-sensory unit, a rehabilitation training programme, a VEC Adult Education links programme and ‘Sonas’ (a service for older people with intellectual disability). Delta’s Multi-Sensor y Gardens have also been recently officially opened to the public by Denis O’Brien and consist of a series of inter-connecting gardens covering 2.5 acres. The gardens are the first of their kind in Ireland consisting of Sculptures, Water Features, foliage, plants etc. The theme-based gardens have been designed by renowned designers which include Gordon Ledbetter, Mary Reynolds, Rachel Doyle, Elma Fenton and Jimmi Blake. Why were you brought in to work in the Centre? After graduating from art college in the mid nineties I began working with teenagers with challenging behaviour
for the HSE. I was running an art programme during this time with a view to assisting those in care to work creatively and enjoy the benefits of creative expression. This project was also an opportunity to integrate the work of those in care, into their living environment, thus making a somewhat sterile and clinical looking building, more homely. After leaving the HSE and returning to Postgraduate studies in Art Therapy, I commenced work at Delta, who were at this particular time, seeking to integrate a creative programme into their service for the benefit of the trainees. What do you actually do with clients of the Centre? My remit at Delta is to run our creative programme, which involves music and art. During the year I work with five groups of adults with varying learning disabilities. Because I am also a registered Art Therapist, I work with clients who are not part of our creative art programme. The aims of each project is based on what event is pending at certain times of the year. Throughout the year, Delta holds its annual fashion show, annual art exhibition and annual Summer and Christmas sale. The creative remit can be varied in this respect and directly related to pending events. In this respect I can be working on mixed media, painting, creating various props, and preparing design work for print and advertising, as well as preparation of music etc. at any given time. We also work on commissioned projects. This is what makes the programme interesting – creative variety. We also use a music system called ‘Sounbeam’ in our creative programme. This is essential the use of ultra sonic beams or sensors to detect movement. The direction, distance and speed of body movement translates into electronic music via a connection to a sampler or sound module. In
munity start 0
short, Sounbeam affords those with varying disabilities and limited movement, the opportunity to make music using a limitless array of sounds sampled from varying instruments. David Jackson, the saxophonist, flautist and composer initially introduced me to Soundbeam and has run many workshops and performances for the Delta. (See http://www.jaxontonewall.com) In your own practice, what do you do? What is an Art Therapist? I currently do not work privately. Much of my personal remit involves music. I have been very much involved in music over the years and have just completed a debut album that will be released early in the New Year. I take on the odd private commission only, in visual art, as I do not have the time for extensive commissions. I am also part of a panel of Art Therapist with the Athas Network, and as well as Delta, I work at The Rowanberry Centre in Portlaoise, as well as the Mountmellick Development Association. My remit here is to work with clients, providing them with an Art Therapy service. There is some suggestion that Art Therapy is a sort of ‘hybrid’ activity caught loosely between medicine and art. Should we not just leave therapy to Doctors? Is art becoming a panacea of sorts? D ef inin g A r t T h er apy to t hos e w ho have li t t le understanding of this particular service or subject, can be difficult. The most common misconception that I have encountered is the notion that Art Therapy is a service where a therapist makes a direct analysis on the basis of a client's drawing or painting, (often confused with the much debated Roshchach ink-blot test in Psychology/ Psychiatry). Like many therapies there is an element of analysis involved but this is not the core objective of Art Therapy. If I am to offer you what I consider to be the most apt description of Art I would say that it is the exploration of feeling through the medium of art, albeit, this description does not cover the entire gamut of such a service. Like Psychotherapy, there are numerous dynamics at play in the art therapy process. Art Therapists are trained similarly to Psychotherapists, with ideologies rooted in Freudian and Jungian theory, in addition to other psychoanalysts and great theorists in this field, like
start 0
Winnicott, Klein, Bolby, to name but a few, who have made phenomenal contributions and inroads into this field. The difference between Art Therapy and Psychotherapy however, is the addition of an image or piece of art. As an Art Therapist you would examine a vital component in the process, i.e. The Therapeutic Relationship, wherein lies Transference and Countertransference, between client, therapist and image. This is a triangular relationship that can sometimes be quite complex, in theory. In essence, the benefit of Art Therapy can be derived from the image, as the image is a symbol and symbols are our most primitive and fundamental means of communication that derive from the unconscious part of the human psyche. In this respect the image can be as revealing to the client as it is the therapist. It is a tangible piece of evidence to be explored. A good therapist will never make immediate analysis, but will assist a client to help herself and gain a better understanding of herself and the issues that have come to the fore through the Therapeutic Relationship and the images that ensue. This can be the case in Art Therapy, but it can also be merely a sensory and fun experience for those with limited cognition and varying learning difficulties. The benefits and dynamics are manifold, depending on the client group, and the therapist, and like all therapies, it is not for everyone. Should we leave therapy to Doctors? To Doctors in the area of Psychology, Psychotherapy, Psychiatry, etc. I would say, certainly; in addition to those who are specifically trained in such areas, like Counsellors, Psychotherapy and Art Therapists. In my view, the suitability of an individual to practice as a therapist is not solely based on qualification. It must come with additional qualities. Qualification, although paramount and vital in this area, must be accompanied by a genuine regard for clients and continuous self exploration and awareness of one's own shortcomings. It is not a case of turning out clockwork diagnoses and subsequently administering a swift antidote. Therapy is a human science, the science of emotion. The title of Doctor is no guarantee that you will have the necessary requirements to engage in this science with subsequent positive results, no more than the title of Firefighter is a dead cert that you will extinguish every flame that is put before you. Anyone can be a Therapist. It takes a
certain disposition, in addition to qualification, to be a good therapist. Is art becoming a panacea? I don't believe it is. If it appears so it is because Art Therapy is relatively new in Ireland. The first batch of Art Therapists only came out of Crawford College of Art & Design in the last ten to fifteen years. Crawford is still the only college that offers training for Art Therapists. Prior to this, Hertfordshire would have been the next port of call. The service is well established in UK and US however, and has become an accepted and integral part of the health services. We also must take into account that people's attitudes to their health and well-being has changed over the years – people in Ireland are far more open now, than before, to other approached in health, and the taboo around therapy in this country seems to have dissipated somewhat also. The Health Services are also becoming more open to additional interventions, including Art Therapy. Are we foisting the arts on people? No. Like any service, it's there to be availed of by means of choice. In Art Therapy an individual is referred via his or her doctor/carer/guardian/service provider or a self-referral, etc. But it is the choice of the individual to a make a decision and even on the basis of this, a consultation and assessment follows, to determine the suitability of a person for this particular service. This is an essential and integral part of the process, bearing in mind that some may not have the ability to make their own decision on the basis of cognitive impairment/disability etc., yet may enjoy the benefits of this particular service. Like all appropriate services, it is never simply a case of ‘selecting’ individuals for Art Therapy and expecting them to engage without choice. Careful consideration and guidelines must be adhered to, in an effort to make the service as effective and beneficial as possible for potential clients. A person with a disability will achieve at a different rate and in a different time-frame. How do you deal with this? I deal with this by checking in with myself ever now and then, and reminding myself that I am working in the area of Learning Disabilities. I have a number of standard but important points in this context e.g. the focus on the level of 'ability' is paramount; working at a pace
that is conducive to an individual’s impairment and not to a pace that is conducive to one’s own abilities; exercising appropriate or balanced levels of assistance in developing projects, i.e. too much assistance magnifies ‘disability’. Too little, equally serves a similar purpose. In brief our primary ingredients for creating are: Imagination; Exploration; Experimentation and Enjoyment! Can you explain your recent exhibition at the Centre the exhibition and it's purpose? The exhibition was called ‘Carnival of Colour’ which is in a sense a metaphor for the whole idea that creativity should be fun and celebratory and accessible to all, suffice the level of one’s disability. The works ranged from large to small pieces worked in mixed media. The emphasis was on bright colours and playful shapes and materials in order to get the theme and message across
Contact www.deltacentre.org
start 0
Interview Sarah Ryan Photographs Alexandre Iseli
A Time to Dance
Alexandre Iseli and Jazmin Chiodi are two dancers currently working on a dance project in South Tipperary. start talked to Alexandre about what’s involved start: How was this residency in Tipperary arranged? Alexandre: Sally O’Leary, Arts Officer at South Tipperary County Council and Mar y Sarsfield, from Tipperar y Excel Arts and Cultural Centre defined a partnership to develop dance in South Tipperary. The residency provides funding to invite a dance artist and provides a working space, the new dance studio in Excel Centre, to work in and give classes. What programmes are you undertaking for the residency? The aim is to develop dance in South Tipperary, and to develop Excel as a centre for dance in Ireland. Dance is a performative art, of course, and we both very much enjoy stage performance. But as well it is way of life, in which you keep questioning yourself physically and intellectually. It is a very powerful tool to walk into life, develop and find out about yourself and the people around you. That is probably a main idea we want to develop here. Dance is physical, it’s rhythmical, of course, but it’s not a sport: it’s about sensitivity, about how you relate to yourself and to other people. It certainly brings you back to fundamental sensorial experiences and feelings. So we won’t push as much the technical aspect as the social and personal pleasure that comes to life when investigating through movement. We conceived the residency along three main lines: We needed to imagine ourselves in the studio, working together and connecting our double experience of dance. Jazmin worked in a more theatrical dance world, and I was mainly involved in "pure" movement. So thus far we were mainly dancers/performers, more so than choreographers. The outcome of this research will not necessarily be a piece. But we will define our own line of work, and this line will feed our dance teaching throughout the residency. In a way we see it as a backbone. We want to involve pre-professional dancers, or young professionals in this research. We know that taking classes is not enough to become a dancer. There are other skills involved that are rarely practiced in class, such as: partnering work, developing one's dance language,
start 10
performative techniques to develop your presence on stage, for example. So we are hoping to attract some young dancers, and involve them in real pro-level situations. This will take place in the months of March/April. (Anybody interested should apply now, and we will meet them during a two day workshop on February 7th and 8th. The two other aspects of the project are mainly about teaching within the community. Because dance is a lot about feeling, the best way to bring people to dance is to give them the possibility to actually experience it. School was a very obvious place to go and teach. Children are more flexible and open to try something new. It is also a way to involve boys into some dance work. When you teach the children, you also have a good chance to attract the attention of the parents. We believe that dance is a very effective way for children do develop physical skills, social skills (such as communication between boys and girls). It's also a way to allow the children, especially the boys, to show and express about their feelings. So we will be giving dance sessions inside the schools. Four schools already booked for these sessions. The teachers/principal of these schools responded very quickly and enthusiastically. There is still space for a few more schools. Third, we wanted to give a chance to everyone in the community. It's a way to show that dance doesn't exclude people. It is a very inclusive form of art. You can be a spectator, or practice some sort of dance at almost any age. We will teach ‘holistic workshops’, which will give the opportunity to adults to question themselves: what kind of relationship with their physicality... (how do you physically express will, effort, emotion...). People are surprised to find out how daily life events and emotions affect their physicality. A holistic workshop day will take place on February 14th. Jazmin, who was born in Argentina and is a tango dancer, will also teach a session of tango classes for all levels. Classes on Thursdays, start on February 6th. We will give more structural contemporary classes as well; classes that teach basic skills of contemporary techniques.
Classes take place on Tuesdays at the Excel, starting on February 3rd. We are also planning to present a photography exhibition that will present pictures taken throughout the residency. This will probably take place in the Excel. Tipperary would be a relatively rural county. How do the programme participants/local population react to modern dance? We don't really know yet. There are many ideas about modern dance. What we do in the studio is to "have fun" by experiencing many aspects of ourselves : muscle, memory, understanding, breath, etc. Dance is ultimately just a multi-aspect game that you play with your own self, body and mind: you run, you jump, you go to the floor, you memorise, you stay on balance, fall off balance, you improvise, you imitate, etc... We definitely will adjust our program to whom we find and meet. Our first goal is to connect and meet with the community. We are eager to meet whoever is interested. What made you come to Ireland? Jazmins family life brought her from France to Ireland some years ago. She came from Argentina to France in 2001, to have a dance career in Europe. Then she started to work with Irish dance companies and with Che Tango, her own tango project. I have been working and performing throughout Europe in the last fifteen years. Mainly Switzerland (where I come from), France, Belgium and Ireland. I met Jazmin in Dublin last year. You studied biology before training to become a dancer. Has this informed your work? Yes, very much. Science is about knowing your subject without inter fering. Dance is about discovering by interfering. In one case you observe and draw conclusions through logic. In the other case you jump into the lake, and experience it through your sensations and emotions. They are two opposite ways to find out about life. Both are equally important.
It also helped me to build a cosmogony. If you talk about energy for instance; it is a very specific and fundamental subject in sciences, maybe the most fundamental. That doesn’t stop me from using the word in a more symbolic way in dance. But I know where I am coming from, and what energy is about in a scientific sense. It’s heat, something that can provide work, molecular agitation, etc‌ Somehow, my training as a scientist keeps me away from cheap fancy logic. I like when dance work, however poetic, keeps connected with something real. I love concepts, if they are based on something solid. What is the state of dance in Ireland as you see it? A possibility to work with dance in Ireland exists; there is interest from the Arts Council, and funding, which is great. There has been a real development of dance in Ireland in the last few years. Dance in Ireland does suffer from isolation. Dance evolves through mixing. It needs to visit and be visited, and not only in the geographic meaning of the word. We both believe that dance development goes through working on the accessibility (technical, cultural) of dance. Our experience throughout Europe showed us that making pieces, or even touring them around the country, is not enough to develop dance. We need to develop local awareness. We (the dance community) need to talk and practice with people, involving them on a sensitive level. When some people start to connect with the possibility to dance and discover what it is about, they can then become interested in the Art of dance. In that sense, dance needs to build from the bottom and up, through a consistent and long-term work. So we think the opportunities of this residency are great, and we are happy to contribute to the effort, with other people already working throughout the country For more info on this residency, you can email Jazmin Chiodi: jazminchiodi@hotmail.com or call Sally O'Leary, South Tipperary Arts Officer on 052 34565 For activities in the Excel Arts Centre, contact 062 80 520 website: www.tipperary-excel.com
start 11
start presents the short story which won the 2008 Molly Keane Award.
It’s Hard to Die in the Springtime by Susan Knight
F
or her it was bluebottles. For David Attenborough, apparently, it was worms. One day she had heard the famous naturalist on the radio, explaining why he was an agnostic. He couldn’t believe in a kind and loving God, he said, after seeing the suffering of innocent children in Africa, afflicted by a worm that burrowed into their eyes and made them blind. Over the years, Josie’s own doubts had grown. She regarded God’s creation mostly with wonder, but also with some puzzlement. It wasn’t all good, after all. Why bluebottles, for instance. ‘They serve in the putrefaction process,’ her clever granddaughter Maeve had told her. ‘You may not like them, but they perform a useful job nonetheless.’ ‘Not when they lay their eggs on my nice roast chicken.’ If Maeve thought the chicken should have been safely locked away in the fridge and not left out on the counter, she was too polite to say. ‘Well, anyway Gran, I don’t think bluebottles disprove the existence of God. Not by themselves.’ But now Josie had to contend not simply with doubts and David Attenborough but also with the young men and women in the same ward as herself. ‘It’s a form of leukaemia,’ the consultant told her after all the tests. ‘A progressive form. Unfortunately, you’ve had it undiagnosed for years and now it’s at quite an advanced stage.’ What did that mean? But she couldn’t bring herself to ask how long. ‘On the plus side, Josephine,’ he said, ‘some wonderful new treatments have been developed. We’ll give them a try, will we?’ He smiled at her encouragingly. She smiled back, wondering if she should inform him that no one had called her Josephine since the disapproving nuns at school. And what would he say if she started calling him Barry? On the other hand, all this talk of Josephine made her think that perhaps they were referring to someone else. Not her. ‘Now then, Josephine,’ the nurse, different nurses would say when she came for her weekly blood test, all smiling that professionally kind, unengaged smile. ‘Let’s see how we are today,’ thrusting the needle into a vein if they could find one that hadn’t collapsed. ‘You’re too nice,’ her daughter Carmel said, when Josie came home, weak with fatigue. ‘You should make a fuss. It’s not right that a sick person should be left waiting around all day on a hard chair. I’ve a good mind to come in with you next time and give them a piece of my mind.’ ‘They’re doing their best,’ Josie replied, wishing Carmel would let her stretch out on the couch for a snooze and not be bothering her with her outrage. ‘They’re overworked. There must have been fifty people alongside me, all waiting. I can’t expect special treatment.’ ‘It’s the system that’s at fault, then,’ said Carmel. ‘You should write a letter to your TD, the one who always makes out he can fix things.’ Josie sighed and closed her eyes. But Carmel wasn’t finished.
start 12
‘That’s the trouble with you, Mam. You always try to please. You’ve tried to please people all your life and look where it’s got you.’ No one mentioned Thomas, Josie’s late husband. A cantankerous demanding man who’d died of a heart attack some eight years previously, leaving his wife a legacy of peace and quiet, at least when Carmel wasn’t visiting. Josie never said, but she was almost as intimidated by her daughter as she had been by her husband. But now the disease had progressed to the stage where she needed to be hospitalised frequently. That was when she met the young women and men who had an aggressive form of the illness and that was when she started to wonder again about the goodness of a God who could grab lives so randomly before they had even properly started. ‘It’s not fair, ‘she said to Maeve. Her granddaughter sat back looking at her. Maeve with her short hair dyed – what was it this week, pink? purple? blue? In her little vest, puffed tutu of a skirt, black tights and heavy boots. Her multiple piercings. ‘My God, what do you look like!’ Carmel would explode. Josie and Carmel’s big oaf of a husband Leo would catch each other’s eye. Josie thought Leo secretly agreed that Maeve looked rather fine. She certainly cheered up the ward when she came in. ‘Who said it was supposed to be fair?’ Maeve now asked her grandmother. ‘That’s true, but…’ ‘It’s like saying ‘why me?’ when what people should be asking is ‘why not me?’’ This was getting too deep for Josie. ‘Anyway,’ she said. ‘It’s very sad.’ Several days after this conversation a new patient was wheeled into the bed beside Josie. She was a slip of a thing, who slept a lot. Come visiting time, Josie noticed how Maeve kept peering across at her. ‘Don’t stare,’ she whispered. ‘I’m sure I know her,’ Maeve whispered back. ‘Isn’t she that singer?’ ‘What singer?’ ‘I’m sure she is. The one who does all the Jacques Brel stuff.’ Josie looked bewildered. ‘She was on the Late Late show once. Talked about growing up in one of those homes.’ Josie remembered vaguely. A voice like an angel’s. ‘No,’ she said. ‘That one was quite chubby.’ ‘Grandma! She’s sick, she’s lost weight. Like you.’ Josie didn’t have it to lose and was starting to scare herself, she looked so skeletal. ‘I’m sure it’s her.’ The nurses didn’t know. They called the girl Margaret. Maeve was disappointed. ‘The singer was Peggy something.’ ‘But Peggy’s short for Margaret,’ Josie told her, glad to be the one giving information for once. ‘Really! That’s great! I mean… It isn’t great. It’s terrible.’ Poor Maeve looked desolate and Josie patted her hand. The next morning the girl in the next bed was a little more awake. ‘My granddaughter thinks she recognises you,’ Josie said. ‘Ah. Well maybe.’
start 13
‘She says you’re a singer.’ ‘Yes.’ ‘That must be lovely.’ ‘Mm.’ ‘That’s a silly thing to say. Sorry.’ ‘No, you’re right. It’s lovely to sing. It’s lovely to have people listen and enjoy. Only… I’m not sure if I’ll ever sing again.’ Josie was about to say ‘of course you will’, then she remembered the bluebottles and the worms and the tainted blood pumping through both their veins. ‘Let’s hope you do,’ she said. ‘At least, so I can hear you.’ Peggy laughed at that, a tinkling sound. ‘I’ll give a recital some night,’ she said. ‘Strictly for the moribund.’ ‘What, dear?’ ‘The bedridden.’ A smiling young man came and visited the girl most days. He would wheel her out for a cigarette. ‘I know I shouldn’t,’ she said to Josie. ‘But what the hell! When they open me up after I’m gone, it’ll give them more to talk about.’ ‘That’s very morbid talk.’ ‘No, I’m leaving my body to science.’ Josie was shocked until Peggy explained it to her. ‘It’s the last useful thing you can do. No one will want my organs for transplants but at least they can be used to educate new doctors. And it gets round all the religious quackery associated with funerals. I couldn’t stand that. Some priest who doesn’t know me spouting on about the after life, and being at peace and all that shit.’ ‘You don’t believe in God.’ ‘I believe in life, not afterwards.’ Her eyes flashed. She didn’t have family, she told Josie. ‘So there’d be no one to carry my coffin anyway.’ Just Ben, the smiling young man. ‘He’s good to me.’ One time, when Maeve was taking Josie for a little constitutional along the corridor they met the pair coming back. ‘Did you see his face?’ Maeve asked. Behind Peggy’s back, pushing the chair, Ben looked ravaged by grief. Later Peggy said to Josie, ‘I think we’d better have that concert tonight. I’m in the mood for it. But apologies if my voice isn’t quite what it should be. With all the ciggies.’ She got one of the nurses to help her stand up using a zimmer frame. ‘Any requests,’ she asked the other patients. ‘Assuming I know the words.’ She sang On Raglan Road, She Walked through the Fair, Dublin in the rare Oul’ Times. Her voice was nearly as clear as Josie remembered it, but with an occasional heart-breaking crack. The six-bed room was soon crammed with patients from other rooms. The nurses clucked a bit, but not too much. ‘I’m going to finish now,’ she said, ‘with a Jacques Brel song. He was a Belgian singer, a poet. He died of cancer.’ The song, she said, was called Le Moribond, the man about to die. She glanced at Josie and winked. ‘I’ll translate, so you’ve an idea what it’s about. He says to his friends ‘Goodbye. I’m going to die. It’s hard to die in Springtime. But I’m leaving with the flowers, peace in my heart. I want you all to dance, to laugh like mad, when they put me in the ground.’
start 14
Peggy launched into the song, her voice cracking, her knuckles white with the effort of holding the frame to stay upright. Tears starting streaming down her face into the second verse and to the end, and down the faces of some of her listeners as well. It isn’t fair, Josie said to herself, no matter what. That night Peggy suffered a terrible nosebleed. They had to bind a thick cloth around her face to catch the blood that wouldn’t stop. The following morning, Barry the consultant, arrived with his entourage and a grim expression. They pulled the curtains round Peggy’s bed. Josie heard them muttering. ‘They’re moving me to intensive care,’ Peggy told Josie later. ‘I hope it wasn’t the singing brought it on.’ ‘Speeded up the inevitable,’ she tried to smile behind that ghastly bandage. ‘Tell your lovely granddaughter from me to laugh, to dance, as long as she can. And you too, Josie.’ ‘Dance!’ exclaimed Josie. Peggy winked. Then the porters came and Josie never saw her again. A week later, when she was being discharged – ‘For the time being, Josephine,’ Barry said with a merry smile, ‘I know you can’t stay away from us for long.’ – Maeve broke the news that Peggy had died. ‘No one told me,’ Josie said, indignant. ‘It was in the papers. But the nurses probably didn’t want to upset you.’ Josie went not home but to Carmel’s house in Drumcondra, with carers coming in while Carmel and Leo were at work. Maeve filled in when her studies permitted. ‘Let’s go for a walk,’ she suggested one bright March day. ‘I can’t, dear.’ ‘In the wheelchair.’ ‘Oh, I don’t know…’ ‘It’s lovely out. Do you good.’ So Maeve took her, well-wrapped up, to the Botanical Gardens. The daffodils were at their best, dancing in the breeze. Fat buds of blossom were starting to burst open. ‘It’s hard to die in Springtime,’ said Josie. ‘What? Grandma, you’re not dying quite yet.’ ‘My dear,’ said Josie. ‘It’s the words of a song.’ They sat under pine trees by the ornamental lake, gazing across at a tree that was already a mass of pink blossom, while overly tame squirrels came right up to them hoping for titbits. ‘Maeve,’ said Josie after a while, ‘I’ve decided to leave my body to science.’ A pause, then ‘Mother will hit the roof.’ ‘She will. But I’m going to do what she’s always telling me to do and please myself. It’s all set up.’ ‘OK, so. Great!’ ‘Will you tell her?’ ‘No, grandma!’ ‘Will you be there when I tell her, then, and back me up.’ ‘Of course.’ Maeve chuckled. ‘Wow, gran! You’re full of surprises.’ They laughed together. The wind shifted. A few stray petals fell from the tree and floated down onto the rippling water. Birds chirruped, ducks and moorhens dabbled. ‘Hold my hand, dear,’ said Josie. And they stayed like that for a long while in silence, listening and looking © SusanKnight/Arts Office Waterford County Council
start 15
start 16
Words Ita Morrissey Photography Michael Kelly
The Strange Case of Jeremy Hickey The link between art and music has always been a close one, but not more so than in the unusual form of Rarely Seen Above Ground. What can only be described as a feast for your senses, the musical talent of Jeremy Hickey (also known as RSAG) infuses all his creative juices into one big bang.
A
one-man band hailing from the Marble City in the southeast, Jeremy Hickey’s line of musical endeavours is quite unique, mixing his natural talents in the musical field with the exploration into the visual medium. This multi-instrumentalist records, produces and plays all his own material. A venture not for the faint hearted; live, he creates a thumping and bumping sound behind the drum set playing along to a previously recorded soundtrack. Throw in the accompaniment of projected visuals portraying the illusion of a full line-up and he generates an absorbing and fascinating commodity. Through his experimenting between two realms Hickey has brought something new and bold to the Irish music scene, an injection of creative credibility and nous. The phenomenon that is Rarely Seen Above Ground in the live arena is in stark contrast to that of the humble and gentile qualities of Hickey himself, a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde comparison would seem fit. In person Hickey is a modest, agreeable and charming character
– a free talking gentleman who throws no judgments and welcomes conversation. It seems the stage and in particular the drum set is where Hickey bursts with his true desires. A live dose of RSAG will have anyone’s bones in motion. His enthusiasm for music is contagious and the energy he creates behind the rattling skins transmits to the audience. Add the visual impact to the equation and you have all the elements of an artistic pill. Like a multi vitamin, Hickey supplies you with a wellrounded dose of all your needs. A driving force behind the visual element to the RSAG shows was to create an experience the audience would enjoy and find engaging. Hickey acknowledged the need to fabricate something more stimulating for the audience, something other than one guy thumping from behind a drum set to a backing track. So grabbing a leaf or two off the inspiration tree from DJ Shadow, Joy Division, Gorillaz and various other beings, Hickey went about devising a full-blown visual show to give the effect of a full line-up. Reinforcements are provided by
start 17
Paul Mahon who, with Hickey pre-records the visuals that accompany the live show. Instead of the usual animation route, Hickey and Mahon produce a shadow show, silhouettes of Hickey playing all the different instruments he has used to create his sound. His debut double album ‘Organic Sampler’ was released at the end of last year through Psychonavigation Records. It has been welcomed into the warm hands of critics and fans alike; the phenomenal response to the record has shone the light on Hickey as someone to watch who won’t be underground for long. The Ticket, the Irish Times weekly music and entertainment supplement gave Hickey a honourable mention – CD of the week – beating Snow Patrol to the post. Road Records also praised the album as ‘one of the most unique and diverse collections from an Irish artist’. It seems that any review of the album has been a positive one. But all this praise has been merited. The album is heavily rhythm led, which is expected, but the vocal stylings and the layered instrumentals create a sound that is both infectious and hypnotic. Previous work with Kilkenny band Blue Ghost, set a standard for Hickey’s current project. A combination of psychedelic soul music, which you could dance to, the mixture of creative forces in the band seemed to create some beautiful tunes. A favourite among critics and with a loyal cult following, the seven years spent with the band formed some strong bonds. Fellow band members of Blue Ghost have also gone on to newer tuneful pastures, Davey Holland and Alan Montgomery formed ‘Good Tiger’
start 18
with Gerry Cantwell and Brian Butler who also released their album ‘The Dynamics of Alcatraz’ in 2008. For now the band are on a break to concentrate on their individual projects. Gigging plays an immense part of what Hickey does. Since the release of his album he has been on a merry-go-round of shows. The 2008 Electric Picnic festival was a memorable one for Hickey himself as well as anyone that was lucky enough to witness it. Headlining the Body and Soul arena, Hickey was pounding to a crowd of two thousand. Security was called to tame the developing frenzy and the music played on till the early hours of the morning. The Irish Times stated it was one of the best acts of the festival weekend. Another highlight has been his recent support slot for The Fall in the Spiegel tent. The live show is where Hickey has gathered a strong following, his gigs in Paris and London have cemented an overseas fan base. He plans to get more use of his passport next year with shows throughout Europe. The fact that Jeremy Hickey is exploring and experimenting with familiar mediums is what music and art is all about. He utilizes everything in his grasp to create a whirlwind experience both on stage and with the album. Rarely Seen Above Ground is a refreshing and exciting force in the music scene at the moment, one that is highly recommended to watch out for For upcoming gig information and a listen to some very nice tracks, visit www.myspace.com/rarelyseenaboveground
C
ar yl Churchill’s Top Girls (Galloglass Theatre Company, White Memorial Theatre, Clonmel, September) was written in 1982 and concentrating as it does on women’s roles and choices I wondered if it would have any relevance or resonance in this seemingly postfeminist world of 2008. The first act raises the issues: the challenges that women have faced throughout the ages in terms of children, relationships and career. The play opens in a restaurant where executive Marlene is hosting the dinner par t y to celebrate her recent promotion. Each of her guests is an historical fictional or literary figure. Pope Joan, Victorian explorer Isabella Bird, Dull Gret based on the subject of the painting ‘Dulle Griet’ by Pieter Breughel,
Lady Nijo, a thir teenth centuar y concubine and Patient Griselda, the character from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The characters all give an historical perspective on feminism. Their destinies are determined by their relationships with men and the expectations of their era. Pope Joan (whose existence has long been debated by the Catholic Church) started dressing as a man as it was the only way to continue her studies. She eventually becomes pope but after giving birth she is stoned to death and the child killed. Sold as a concubine at the age of thirteen Lady Nijo’s happiness is governed by the whim of her ‘owner’ the Emperor, to whom she shows unswerving and undeserved loyalty. She is sanguine about being forced to give away one of her children as ‘it was only
a girl’. Patient Griselda is forced to give up her two children in order for her husband to test her loyalty. Their stories contrast strongly with Marlene, a woman who seems, on the surface, to be in charge of her destiny. The second act moves to Marlene’s place of work, the employment agency where she has just been promoted to CEO. Her colleague Howard is at home unable to deal with working for a woman. His wife comes into the office and asks Marlene not to accept the job telling Marlene she is ‘not natural’. Marlene receives an unexpected, and unwanted, visit from her niece Angie. Immature for her sixteen years Angie is defiant, intractable and sulky, in awe of her seemingly sophisticated aunt.
Photograph: John Crowley
start 19
reviews
Theatre
reviews
The final scene moves to a year earlier and a visit by Marlene to her sister Joyce and Angie. In a bitter argument with her sister it is revealed that Marlene is in fact Angie’s mother, but she asked Joyce to raise Angie so she could pursue her career in London. The parallel to the first scene is drawn as Marlene like the other women has been forced to give up her child. Although unlike the previous women Marlene has abandoned her child for her career not a man. Hardly progress. The non-linear structure of the play makes it challenging viewing for the audience. Although ‘Top Girls’ is provocative and thought provoking it engages on an intellectual and not on an emotional level. The set is simple and functional and is used for the transition from restaurant to office to home mirroring perhaps the daily transition from domestic to work to play. The cast is uniformly good with most actors doubling up on their roles. Kate Nic Chonaonaigh gives an accomplished performance as the brittle Marlene. Liz Fitzgibbon does her best with the thankless role of Dull Gret but shines in the role of Angie. I f t h e p lay q u es t io ns whether it is possible for women to combine a successful career and family then the answer seems to be a resounding ‘No’. And here in 2008? The options may be wider but the choices are still the same. (SW)
C
limb (Red Kettle, Imagine Festival, Gar ter Lane Ar ts Centre, Waterford, October) is an interesting case. Devised and writ ten by Ben Hennessy (RK’s Ar tistic Director) and Eoin Lynch (who starred, co-wrote and directed), ‘Climb’ is a long One -
start 20
Act about George Leigh Mallor y; famed as the only climber to take part in all three pioneering British expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s; but lost attempting the summit in 1924. ‘Clim b’ is more of Red Kettle’s commitment to new writing. With superb staging and imaginative use of the open floor of Garter Lane, the play was a very good mix of theatricality, movement and soundscape. Being mostly set on Everest, the production used a very creative range of sound and visual effects. Unfortunately, of the four cast members (three played a variety of roles), only Nick Kavanagh managed his projection well enough to always be heard.
S e r e n a B r ab a zo n , Eo in Ly n c h , Nicholas Kavanagh and Tom Conway in CLIMB. Intertwined with Mallory's (Tom Conway) fatal last climb were the stories of his love for his patient, ever- at- ho m e swe et h e ar t Ru t h (Serena Brabazon); preparations with his best chum Bullock (Nick Kavanagh); and the finding of his corpse by the mountaineer Conrad Anker in 1999. I'm not sure why only seventy-five minutes was given to these three strands. Things moved quickly, but jumped around too much, losing the audience along the way. The story could have been a proper full-
length play. This would have helped enormously to tease out Mallory's relationship with Ruth, and allowed the writers real time to explore a man who again and again fled the soft pastures of Middle-England for the unforgiving voids of Everest. The accent and character of Ruth kept drifting into Enid Blyton's Famous Five territory; as did all the scenes back in Blighty. Ruth needed to show much more shade and fire. We needed to see a believable foil to someone as driven and determined as George Mallory. The strand about Anker's achievement in finding Mallory's corpse got itself lost in a superfluous character with an egotistical need to call the press and get famous. This whole section seemed unnecessary. In a play with a terrifically strong central character and narrative, stepping back and forth between then and now wasn't really needed. I ver y much liked the production's choice of subtlety by leaving open to question whether or not Mallory reached the summit. The cast's physical energ y was very welcome, as we felt all the way during the climbing sequences that the actors might fall to their doom at any moment. 'Climb' needs a re-run. Like with Red Kettle's previous devised work, the company should trust itself (and its audiences) and temper the piece to the strongest narratives. A rethink, rewrite and lengthening of 'Climb' would open it to much broader (and higher) planes. (JH)
I
met Joe Vanek, designer for Wexford’s International Opera Festival briefly, just before the second half of Richard Rodney Bennett’s The Mines of Sulphur
Connaughton) to mention three of a troupe of itinerant theatrical artists, who arrive seeking refuge late one night, entertain Rosalind the gypsy and Baconnion, a deserter in the house they have now taken possession of. “I have two notches on my soul” (John Bellemer) the deserter tells us, his old scarlet jacket tossed to the floor. Baconnion, through his love for Rosalind who together with her unsavoury acquaintance, a tramp, Tovey (Thomas Goerz) have conspired and killed Braxton, the landlord of the house. Rosalind (Krisztina Szabo) Jenny (Caroline Worra) also one of the theatre players, together with Leda (Dorothy Bryne) all sing extraordinary sensual and ethereal vocal lines. ‘The Mines of Sulphur’ itself being the actors party piece which triggers the protagonists self revelation. T h e clar i t y of dic t io n together with an opera written in English (Libretto Beverly Cross) pulled the audience to the very edge of their seats. It’s a closely woven narrative full of innuendo. As the temperature dropped and the lighting fur ther represented the souls of these poor misfortunates, not a movement could be felt in the auditorium, not even in the well tuned and harmonious srings of the symphony orchestra which fell away to the ultimate certainty that all our lives were now present in this terrible carnival arena. But thrilling it was and would be. Sherrin (John Packard) the manager of the troupe, with his glittering wizardry had cast a spell, revealing an autumn bonfire in all. Would they burn the mansion? Would they destroy everything? And then came the refrain “burn everything, everything but his (Braxtons) money.” Director Michael Barker Craven has brought us a masterful
performance to the stage and into the lives of the delighted and wellentertained audience at the new Opera house in Wexford – a stunning achievement. (CLSP)
D
e v i o u s T h e a t r e’s r a d i o version of H.G. Wells War Of The Worlds (KCLR – October 31st) at temp te d to follow t he pattern set by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre’s famous version, incidentally broadcast seventy years to the day. To our perhaps more sophisticated ears, the earliest part of the production worked best, as the Martian invasion was slowly revealed with programmes being interrupted as the horror unfolded. The imaginative destruction of the region was replete with named local villages such as Tulla and Castlecomer and this added to the interest and excitement felt by the listener. The production itself was well presented, with strong sound effects, especially able to bring over the idea of the multitude fleeing the approaching terror. All in all the piece was a job well done and suggests an alternative approach that can be taken by theatre companies in the area to produce work that doesn’t require touring and the costs involved. This was theatre sent directly to the listener. (DB)
start 21
reviews
(Wexford, November) I think he said, “I must make sure there's more blood on the door for tomorrow nights performance…” He also informed me that eighteen months of preparation had brought the sets and costumes to life here, in one of most pleasant Opera houses I have had the pleasure of being in. One sits starry eyed within the details of colour, elegance, between effused stage lighting (by Paul Keogan) and the wonder ful thought provoking dynamics of the characters (choreography Liz Roche) all perfectly captured in the mind’s eye by the sonorous sixty strong symphony orchestra, under the baton of Stewart Robertson. Indeed this is miniature opera with a cast of nine, staged to the full, whose acting skills alone made manifest an intense drama. Farcically marooned in the year 1763 on a late winter’s night, the very ominous journey of these characters chilled our very bones towards the climax of the work. B e n n e t t ’s m u s i c i s articulately dense but perfectly lyrical in its craf t; one of three operas composed during the six ties. A jazzy but contemporary mainstream British composer whose operatic symphonic music is laced with delicate counterpoints, colloraturas and senza vibr ato strings. His vocal quasi-serialist yet jazz-related composition matches the vocal ranges well, largely because Bennett was a st rong ad vo c ate of t he professional status of composers, when at a time a large number were writing avant-garde works. Conductor Stewart Robertson kept a tight ship. This well plotted music drama opens to very strong emotive forces, which empowers the audience. The players (Daniel Norman, Limericks, Owen Gilhooly and Trim, the mute – Philip
reviews
Visual Arts
S
ometimes the purest and simplest ar t can leave a deeper impression than one that confuses itself with var ying different media and ideas. I Smile At Life an exhibition by Annabel Konig, at the Ar tforms Galler y (Carlow, October), was a body of work that concentrated on the grieving process and all that comes with it – sadness, loss, letting go, and understanding. Throughout the exhibition Konig used the images of pebbles and stones in many different forms; sometimes dark and gritty, sometimes repeated several times in one piece. But these usually cold and lifeless objects, not to scale, had personalities that conveyed emotions. Using mostly pencil, c h ar c o al a n d a c r y li c, t h e r aw intentions of the artist were exposed. It was easy to sense the loneliness in some of her works. ‘3, 1 and then 2’ in its simplest explanation is some pebbles on canvas, but it was Konig’s technique that creates a response, the shadows that each pebble casts brings us to the knowledge that these objects have a history, a life. The elementary techniques, tools and images that Konig availed of in this body of work, were befitting for what she wished to convey. Some of Koing’s charcoal work, from a distance appeared quite smooth but on close examination one saw the hard coarse markings, seemingly made to punish the fragile rice paper. In another piece of work the artist textured the canvas with paper and acrylic, altering the surface. While the scattered grey pebbles, appeared to represents the solidarity in society, it’s a scrambled city where it’s hard to hear someone cry. Hidden at the far corner of the space was the
start 22
concluding artwork ‘Among the stones and Sweeping Valley’. It held such hopeful colours, with primary green, sky blue and red surrounding the lone pebble, its hard to see how it didn’t represent the peace and acceptance that finally comes from the grieving process. (IM)
W
ex ford Ar ts Centre, played host to Beyond, an exhibition by ar tists from the Arts Ability Project based at Count y Wex ford Communit y Workshop, New Ross, County Wexford. There is a significance attached to presenting the work of a sometimes marginalised group of people to the wider community in a venue that is central to and was once in fact, the ‘town hall’ of a community. The work occupied two distinct spaces in the Arts Centre, namely the Pillar Room downstairs and the smaller Print Room on the first floor. The larger of the two spaces contained ceramic work alongside two dimensional wall pieces, which included mixed media and paint work. Upstairs, there were woodcarvings, fabric pieces, pastels and etchings, as well as paintings. This was a journey of exploration for the artists involved. On the end wall was a collection of small works presumably executed by all the artists participating in the programme. On entering the venue, I was immediately struck by the strong use of colour in the work. The work, in the main produced by the six studio participants, Andrew Murphy, JJ Maddock, Mary Holohan, Pat Roche, Thomas Martin and Frank Power, was professionally presented and attractive enough to lure the
passer by to come and view. I found myself uplifted by the joyous use of colour and there was a strong sense of the individuality of the participating artists, working to their own preoccupations, and individually expressing in a variety of styles. The dramatic landscapes of Pat Roche made a strong visual statement. These abstracted landscapes succeeded in touching on, in a way that many landscapes do not, the essence of the places portrayed. There was a sense of exhilaration and freedom in these pieces. They were bold and full of movement. I was particularly drawn to ‘Evening Sunset’ and ‘Winter Coast’ both recent pieces, painted in 2008. To the left of the entrance was the work of Mary Holohan, a wonderful colourist, who engages in remarkably detailed work, work that consists of shapes outlined in contours in myriad colours, an effective exploration of both colour and space. From ‘Cathedrals of C o mmer c e’ (20 0 8), to ‘C astle G ar d e ns’ (20 07) t h er e w as something enormously attractive about this work. To the right were the abstract pieces of Andrew Murphy. I found these to be par ticularly appealing. They were painted with a broad stroke and a strong command of the language of painting. Included in their number were the paintings ‘Sky 11’ and ‘Circles in the Night Sky’ executed with a painterly flair, limited palette and a command which is to be admired. The studio par ticipants in this project engage in their artistic pursuits on one day every week. The work is funded in a p ar t n er ship ini t iat i ve b et we en Wexford County Council, HSE South, The Arts Council and County Wexford
was both colour ful and textured and JJ Maddock’s ‘Polar Bear’ was extraordinary in its truthfulness. There was something intriguing about Andrew Murphy’s ‘Mask’, not to talk of the man on horseback on ‘The Hunt’. To m ove b eyo n d something, by implication presumes boundaries. This group of artists has broken through those barriers which inhibit, and now inhabit the space on the farther side of that. (HG)
G
h o s t s o f t h e Fa i t h f u l D e p a r t e d a n ex hi b i t i o n of photographs by David C r e e d o n (S o u r c e A r t s C e n t r e and Tipperar y Institute, Thurles, October) was a selection of work taken in what would have been known as ‘forsaken homesteads’ in famine times. I guess this name would still apply to these empty houses of emigr ants and their families from the f if ties to the
Austin McQuinn, Lord Arthur Bucklaw, Lambda Print on Dibond, 915 x 680mm, 2008; courtesy of the artist & Butler Gallery.
start 23
reviews
Community Workshop, New Ross, with the expressed aim of providing opportunities for people to celebrate creativit y and develop their ar t practice in a professional manner. There is a danger that work done in a community setting can become repetitious and imitative, that the same topics are explored and that similar subjects are explored in similar manner. Not so with this group. There was an individuality about the work of each contributor, which makes the viewing of the show most pleasurable. I particularly enjoyed the cohesive group of pieces done by Francis Power, based on the artists travels. ‘Una, Kate and Frank Power in Venice’ painted in 2008, was beautifully composed, and I had a real sense of the place. Another piece, I suspect, with autobiographical links to the artist, is his ceramic ‘Weightlifter’. I also really like his ceramic piece entitled ‘Walrus’. I n J . J . M a d d o c k ’s ‘Seashore’ (2008) there was energy conveyed in his portrayal of sky. I had a strong sense that he has had fun with it. Thomas Martin’s interest in stories of history and legend provide yet another subject for the exhibition. The exhaustive detail in his ‘Bullfight’, capturing the audience in the round so effectively, was noteworthy. There was a particularly effective trio of painted wood carvings in the Print Room. Convincing dramatic use of line and the use of both strong and subtle colour, these works were executed by Sean Murphy, Francis Power and Maura Phelan. The ceramic work of this exhibition was naïve and colourful, and the essence of the many creatures portrayed were effectively captured. Eileen Witty’s ‘Pheasant’
reviews
Reviewers: David Banner, Sarah Ryan, Brendan Maher, Helen Gaynor, Suzanne Walsh, CLS Parker, Ita Morrissey and James Hyde. eighties. The photographer notes that over 500,000 left the country during this period. The terrible wrench of having to leave one’s home seems to have t aken a physical for m in Creedons’ photographs with the p eeled paint work, cr acked surfaces and rusting bedsteads. The scale of the work allowed the viewer to nearly creep inside the rooms and have a good nose around. Given the period, religious paraphernalia was ubiquitous in the series of shots looking down from walls and mantelpieces at the abandoned spaces. It suggested that God too has been abandoned. The photographs were inherently at tractive despite their subject matter, with strong colour and well chosen and framed images. (BM)
A
ustin McQuinn’s exhibition Lammermoor (Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, November) was inspired by the Donizetti opera ‘Lucia
di Lammermoor’. The exhibition seemed to me to be like an exploded diagram or plan, with the specific elements of the opera disassembled requiring one to return the exhibition to a cohesive whole. The opera based on a novel by Walter Scott, details the title character, Lucy, a woman who descends into madness following an arranged marriage. McQuinn brings together images of found Victorian figurines, a seat, a number of painted panels, an antique glass harmonium (one of which is played in the opera) and two projected DVD pieces. One of the projected pieces features a woman behind a screen outlining the story of the opera. So what we have are a selection of assembled elements t h a t h ave b e en c hos en to r e interpret the opera. The kitsch figurines while offering a comment on the nature of high art versus low ar t/mass production also speak of the tendency to melodrama in opera; the wave -like images on
the panels become the electronic waves of sound and then we have the actual instrument on which a portion of the music is played. The projected section which retells the story is perhaps overlong, but the appearance of McQuinn’s ape alterego (who has featured in previous exhibitions) in the other projection of fers an oppor tunity for mir th. It’s a chance to pull the rug from underneath the tragedy in the story and the grandiose pretensions of opera as an art form. It’s clear that the artist loves the opera and indeed speaks of the exhibition as a contemporary homage. This is represented most clearly in the piece ‘The sweet sound’ – a love seat with a quotation embroidered upon the cushion, an attractive piece in itself, but again one where the viewer risks debasing the quotation somewhat by sitting on it. This is where the exhibition works best, when we find ourselves in the process of questioning our response as we view. (SR)
designassociates Design Associates is a full service graphic design company.
designassociates
This means that you don’t have to go searching for the best quality, right priced, printers, photographers, editors, web designers or web developers, Design Associates do it for you!
107 Business Innovation Centre, Upper Newcastle, NUI Galway.
Whether you’re a festival commitee looking to attract the under 3s or a multinational organisation seeking to attract... everyone!
your image is our business start 24
Tel: 091 862 933 Email: studio@designassociates Web: www.designassociates.ie
important information :
for more information go to www.freshfilmfestival.net
Book now on
550a3ne8.ie 051.g-a8 rterl
www
Theatre
Music
Catch the Wind & Misery
Love, Peace & Robbery by Liam Heylin
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!
Puckoon by Spike Millegan
Waterford New Music Week
Stagemad Theatre Co
Meridan Theatre Co
Bowler Hat Theatre Co
Big Telly Theatre Co
Wed 4- Sun 8 Feb
Thur 22-Sat 24 Jan 8pm Tickets: €15 (€12.50 Garter Lane Friends & concs)
Thur 29 Jan 8pm Tickets: €20 (€15 Garter Lane Friends & concs)
Wed 11 - Sat 14 Feb 8pm Tickets: €18 (€15 Garter Lane Friends & concs)
Sun 22 Feb 8pm Tickets: €20 (€15 Garter Lane Friends & concs)
Waterford New Music Week in association with Waterford Institute of Technology. Celebrating 10 years of Waterford New music Week, featuring the music of Eric Sweeney and the great minimalists.
EARLY ET: K BIRD TIC
0 5 . 7 € Y L O(SNave €1.50opoekreTdicbkyet) if pre-b 5pm Sat at
18 JAN
25 JAN
01 FEB
08 FEB
I’ve Loved you CSNY Deja Vu (15A) so Long (12A)
Elegy
Hunger
Two sisters are almost complete strangers to each other. Juliette has just been released from prison after serving a long sentence.
Charts the passionate relationship between a celebrated college professor and a young woman whose beauty both ravishes and destabilizes him.
The film stars Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) member who led the 1981 Irish hunger strike
The war in Iraq is the backdrop as the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young “Freedom of Speech Tour” crisscrosses North America.
(16)
SHOWTIME 7PM TICKETS €9 Complimentary Tea & Coffee from 6.15pm
(€6 Garter Lane Friends & Concs)
(15A)