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Public Art Roundup
Visual Artists' News Sheet | January – February 2020
ART OUTSIDE OF THE GALLERY
amphitheatre for introverts (and others)
AAEX Installations
Alice Lyons, amphitheatre for introverts (and others), 2019; photograph by Michael McLaughlin
AAEX Installations, installation view, 41–41 Clanbrassil St, Dundalk; image courtesy of AAEX
Artist name: Alice Lyons Work title: amphitheatre for introverts (and others) Site: Lough Lannagh Leisure Complex, Castlebar, Co. Mayo Commissioning body: Mayo County Council Date sited: July 2019 Budget: €45,000 Project partners: Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (under the Per Cent for Art Scheme), Punch Engineers, Padraic McTigue Contractors, Castlebar & Granstone, Robbie Maguire (Castlebar Swimming Pool Complex architect)
Artists’ names: Anna Marie Savage, Bernhard Gaul, Caoimhe O’Dwyer, Caroline Duffy, Ciara Agnew, Geraldine Martin, Grainne Murphy, Heather Cassidy, James McLoughlin, Jebun Nahar, Jenny Slater, John Moloney, Michael Stafford, Niamh Gillespie, Niamh O’Connor, Omin, Petra Berntsson, Samantha Brown, Susan Farrelly, Úna Curley Title of work: ‘AAEX Installations’ Sites: 41–42 Clanbrassil Street and selected public locations in Dundalk Dates carried out: 15 to 29 November 2019 Project partners: Dundalk BIDS, Creative Spark, Dundalk Credit Union, Local Enterprise Office Louth, Ronan Halpin, the corridor, MAD Youth Theatre
Description: Sligo-based writer and visual artist Alice Lyons was commissioned by Mayo County Council to develop the public art commission, amphitheatre for introverts (and others), at the new Castlebar Pool and Leisure Complex on the shore of Lough Lannagh. The amphitheatre is designed as a public space for quiet, lakeside contemplation, as a compliment to the high-energy physical activity that will take place inside the new pool complex. The amphitheatre’s terraces are made of Kilkenny limestone and the lines from one of Alice’s poems is sandblasted into the limestone. Lyons stated that her vision for the project was to “create a quiet yet significant intervention in the landscape, one that could hold a poem and a civic space that was in keeping with the overall atmosphere of tranquility of the place […] It is also anticipated to be used as a space for performances, gigs and readings by the local community.” A programme of events took place to coincide with the launch of the artwork in October, which included drawing sessions, meditation, a poetry reading and a workshop on creative process with Lyons. The artwork is the latest addition to the ongoing programme of public artworks for the county.
Description: AAEX (Art as Exchange) is an artist-led collective, founded in 2016. In November 2019, AAEX teamed up with Dundalk-based curator and lecturer, Anne Mager (curator of the corridor – an online platform for artists and cultural initiatives), to develop an ambitious exhibition of installation art, exploring alternative public spaces in Dundalk. An empty shop at 41–42 Clanbrassil Street was used as a central exhibition space, hosting a variety of art installations, including photo and video projections, murals, sculptural objects and performances. This was accompanied by satellite installations at the Demesne, the Long Walk Shopping Centre, the route from the Train Station through Park Street and the County Museum, connecting the town and its history with the central exhibition. As part of the exhibition Anne Mager and Marcel Krueger (the corridor) hosted a panel discussion, titled ‘Where is the Art in Dundalk?’, which discussed the infrastructure, needs and challenges for artists in the region and why there are not more opportunities and experimental spaces for visual artists in the area. The discussion panelists were: Tom Muckian (Roe River Books, Dundalk), Paraic McQuaid (visual artist and lecturer), Úna Curley (visual artist, AAEX).