Thank You

Last Friday marked the end of a residency I worked on for the past three months in Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray. The show, entitled The Making Of Memories Made Manifest was finished with the launch of an audio walking tour of Bray and a fold out map.
Eilis Lavelle, gallery curator, Nora Hickey, director and I.
Nora introduced the project and words were said by us both. Trying to thank the people who participated in the project enough was too big a task to do with a microphone. Fortunately I had some friends to make music for the occasion as a gesture of gratefulness.
We celebrated with music from Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh, Sasha Hsuczyk and Armand and Rory Grubb. Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh making sounds to make parts of your head float.
Seats were filled with many of the participants of the show, and wine to fill glasses and almonds and cheese to fill plates.
There were listening booths where guests could hear the tour, which was made from an assembly of stories recorded and original writing. I worked with Alex Synge on sound design, and Cian Nugent played accompanying guitar. You can listen to the tour, or download it to take it yourself here.

Caoimhin kindly let the night continue into morning in his home, making for an almost sunrise walk home.
These photographs were all taken, with thanks, by Charles Berret.
Although this residency has ended, I am still interested in gathering stories and memories of Ardmore Studios and Bray. I will be undertaking an ongoing project to create an interactive map of Bray with recordings and images gathered throughout the project. If you would like to know more about this project, or get in touch about participating at this stage please do so. You can email me at memoriesmademanifest (at) gmail (dot) com

Memories Made Manifest Celebration

To celebrate the end of my residency with Mermaid Arts Centre and the creation of an audio walking tour of Bray from memories collected during it, I will be having a party there this Friday. All are welcome, your friends, your folks, your neighbours. There will be wine, maybe sangria, cheese and bread and toasted almonds. Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh will kindly play us some music during the evening. There will also be a chance to hear parts of the tour I made using recorded snippets of people's memories of Ardmore Studios and a launch of the project's documentation. The tour was assembled by myself and Alex Synge, with music accompanying by Cian Nugent.
From 6.00pm at the Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Tonight

This evening at 6.00pm I will be giving an artist's talk and presenting the work of my past month's residency at the Mermaid Arts Centre. You are cordially invited to come along for a glass of wine, a discussion and a presentation of the wonderful things that have been donated to the exhibition by people whose lives were touched by Ardmore Studios. Bring your friends, bring your family, bring your questions and I will hope to see you there.
A huge thank you to all who contributed to this project over the past month.

Six One

Last night RTE aired a report on the project on the Six One News. Huge thanks to Philip Bromwell for making the report and to Stuart Hetherington and Gladys Sheehan for being interviewed.
You can see the story by clicking here.

Oh boy

Today the news came to film The Making Of in progress. A video journalist called Philip Bromwell, who films, edits and reports on his own stories at the end of the Six One news filmed me in the gallery in Mermaid Arts Centre working away on the show, which is entitled The Making Of: Memories Made Manifest. This meant filming the archiving process, pinning little notes into a giant map of Bray on the wall, recording down by the seafront, collecting images and typing on my newly-inked-up typewriter.
We also invited two wonderful contributors to the project, Gladys Sheehan and Stuart Hetherington to come along and be interviewed for the piece.

There will be an artist's talk and reception for the project on Thursday, July 30th at 6.00pm in the Mermaid Arts Centre and all are welcome.

Just Call

If you are unable to call by the gallery in person, you're welcome to phone the gallery on 01 2724309. You can email too, to memoriesmademanifest (at) gmail (dot) com

Human Life Things Warehouse

Yesterday I got to visit a props warehouse here in Ashford, County Wicklow as part of this exhibition I am currently working on/living inside, The Making Of: Memories Made Manifest, in Mermaid Arts Centre
Skeletons were lying around here and there of course.

The project I'm making is an open studio and evolving exhibition, where I collect stories from people about their memories of Ardmore Studios, a film studios just outside of Bray town. I decided it would be a good idea to find some props for the exhibition and was kindly offered some objects and a chance to visit by AM PM Props.
My good pal Alex 'Boy Terror' Synge accompanied me to this wonderful place, which manages to combine my two greatest loves: small objects and horse-ness.
Stopping for obligatory roadside strawberries.

At first I thought there would be nothing more to see but some dusty robots and sacks but I was to be much pleasantly surprised. I had no idea what a strange and special place it would turn out to be as we drove out through rich green countryside to look for it. Housed in what used to be a horse riding school is a collection of objects vast and exotic, yet familiar and specific at the same time.

Egg cups any style.
Whole rooms with shelves to the ceiling were full of every kind of plate, cup, cutlery, jug, mug, butter dish, salt shaker, everything. They told us that advertisements often need to create a scene like a 'dingy student flat' and can't get crappy delph anywhere because charity shops don't stock them anymore.
Religious ephemera room.
There were rooms for coffins, dummies, office equipment, every kind of old television, gramaphone, frame, book, headstone.
Ingredients for a good life.

It made me imagine other life forms arriving on the planet earth, looking around at all the stuff we have and saying 'So this is what you've been up to'.

Old pictures, which are actually real things.
We really wanted to cuddle the big red fellow.

A very own exhibition headless skeleton made itself at home in the gallery fort when we returned.

First and last two photos with thanks to Alex Synge.

Pin Wheels

Today was pin wheel day in the gallery. My good friend and wonderful artist Laura de Burca came in to teach me and any visitors who wanted to learn how to fashion twirling pinwheels from old photographs. A little tribute to Bray's seaside heyday and the nostalgia of film.
Here are some of the results, on display in the gallery installation.

Installation

The Making Of: Memories Made Manifest is an exhibition ongoing for the month of July in Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray to mark the 50th anniversary of Ardmore Studios. I will be resident in the gallery for all of the month, collecting stories from members of the public about their memories of Ardmore Studios. Eventually I hope to build an archive of oral anecdotal histories, memorabilia and artifacts in order to preserve the memory of the studios in Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Here are some photographs already kindly lent to the exhibition on display.

Part of the exhibition is a museum space, where items like those above are displayed while the other side is an open process room.
There is a table for meeting visitors who might have tales to record. These files, like the documents and ephemera collected, will become part of a digital archive on Ardmore Studios. The audio files will also be used to create an audio walking tour of Bray, similar to audio detours I've made in the past for the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Project Arts Centre, Limerick's Belltable Theatre and Cork city library.
There is a map of Bray-cum-giant-clipboard where I post ideas and findings and words I've written.

There is also a fort made of boxes in which you can watch silent films made long ago in Ardmore Studios.


All are welcome to drop by and see the work in progress or contribute your own stories. You can call me on +353 (0) 1 2724309 or email memoriesmademanifest (at) gmail (dot) com

The Enchanted Garden

As part of my residency in the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray, Co. Wicklow, I made a performance piece for The Enchanted Garden, a festival of art for children in Kilruddery Gardens last weekend.
The performance led groups of children through the nooks and crevices of the gardens for a short time while telling them a story of a man named Fleming. They were then led to an installation in the woods I had created earlier.

In the woods the children discovered a setting made by Fleming, a log to sit on where he could draw things around him and display them under tree shelter. The children found trinkets of his, buttons, seashells, coins and notes under the trees. They were invited to pick up the paper and pencils there too and make some drawings to hang on string and leave behind for Fleming himself.

Call for your stories and call for your things

On Thursday, July 3rd The Making Of: Memories Made Manifest will open at Mermaid Arts Centre. I’m trying to collect as many stories. anecdotes and recollections as I can of people’s experiences of Ardmore Studios. If you have any that you would like to share. And add to this collection and ongoing exhibition please get in touch. I can be emailed at memoriesmademanifest (at) gmail (dot) com

This exhibition will involve an open studio space, so you are welcome to come and visit me to see how the project is progressing. I hope to make a little space in the gallery like a café combined with a grandmother’s attic, a comfy room where you can share your story. If you have any interesting furniture, like old café chairs, coffee tables, or such that you think might add to the general feeling of cosiness please get in touch. I promise to treat all items with great care and you’ll get to see it helping to evolve the gallery into an installation.