APRIL / LIMERICK IS A CITY OF CULTURE
10:10
Helloooo,
I'm sitting here after finishing my final essay as an undergraduate at the University of Limerick. All the little milestones are starting to pile up now and I have to say, I'm feeling kind of sad about it. This week was kind of awful so I decided to take Friday off and head into town for a look around. As it happened, an exhibition called 'What self imposed enigma did bloom' was running from April 26th until the 29th in Sailor's Home, featuring the work of third-year students in Sculpture & Combined Media and Photography, Film & Video students from LSAD here in the city. So I took myself on a little walk around the city before heading there.
Sailor's Home itself is a fantastic building, so next time there's an exhibition there I recommend you go! It was built in 1857. I was feeling kind of anxious on this particular day, so to go into a darkened house full of art was actually really soothing. The sounds of the exhibition combined with moving were really relaxing. The exhibition contained work by thirteen artists and for third year students, I was so impressed. Here are some photos of my favourites, I'll try my best to link as much information as I can about each artist.
The photo above is a work titled 'Tell Me Your Secrets' by Louise Wallace. Her artwork was one I was mesmerized by, I stopped and just watched it for a number of minutes. The imagery was beautiful, it was alarming and thought-provoking all at once. This work was inspired by the concept of memory and nostalgia, according to the booklet I took away with me. I thought the colour scheme used and the crisp quality of the video were fantastic.
This second one was in the same room as Louise's and it is a work called 'Delimit' by Kieran Holland. The work deals with the idea of technological advancement and the anxiety that surrounds those advancements. I really like this one because it reminded me of how my own anxiety makes me feel, overwhelming, chaotic and things moving fast. As an artwork, it was fascinating to see the different images. I like how art makes you think, makes you feel something and watching this artwork was again something that calmed me down!
'It Comes To Everyone' is a work by Melanie De Matos Wilmot that centres around the theme of loss. I found this one really moving and it was one that I sat and experienced for longer than the rest of the artworks because it was a really immersive experience. When you sit on the chair facing the little screen, the visuals are combined with the sound of someone breathing, someone breathing fast because they are distressed. The booklet states that Melanie asks participants to think of a loved one they have lost. It was really powerful and I found myself glued to the screen, taking it all in.
After that exhibition, I actually had planned to get the bus home to Kilkenny and see my parents for the weekend, but instead, I was invited along to an impromptu gig in Steamboat Records to see none other than fabulous Irish band Le Galaxie! I had never been to this particular record store before and I was pleasantly surprised! It is a little musical heaven tucked away on the end of the Dock Road, facing out into the river Shannon.
When you go upstairs there are racks and racks of records, ranging from the latest vinyl release to old favourites that your grandparents used to listen to. Perfect for the person who likes a good root! As for Le Galaxie's performance, I was in awe! I am ALL for supporting Irish music. They really got the crowd going and I was enraptured by the synths they incorporated into their songs. I found myself feeling really proud of the Irish music industry and all they've accomplished. For a tiny country, we sure do have a lot of really creative people living on our shores!
This week was a tough week I have to say, but attending all these lovely events and seeing art in so many different forms really helped a lot. I highly recommend you take yourself on a little sightseeing trip of your city any time you feel a bit down!
hope you enjoyed my ramblings,
thanks so much for making it to the end,
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