Category Archives: June 11

Eulogy to the Blank Page

Posted on by
1

“We suffocate under words, images, and sounds, which have no reason to exist, they come from the void and go towards the void. A truly worthy artist should be asked for nothing but this act of sincerity: to educate himself to silence.” – from Frederico Fellini’s 8 1/2

This piece in the Hugh Lane Gallery was created by Dublin-based artist and curator Gavin Murphy and designed by Oran Day in 2010. Perhaps my favorite part of this piece is the way it’s arranged – words run left to right in each row, going down the wall, in order of the sentence. It can become a new sentence, though, a new thought, depending on the way you’re looking at the artwork. Additionally, by making the piece out of laser-cut acrylic, the concept of coming from and going towards the void is made clear (pun not intended). The quote is self-reflexive, and the piece in the Gallery allows you to get out of it what you put into it.

I wanted to do a bit more research about the movie that the quote is from, and perhaps why this quote was specifically chosen for this piece. Below is a brief storyline:

Guido is a film director, trying to relax after his last big hit. He can’t get a moment’s peace, however, with the people who have worked with him in the past constantly looking for more work. He wrestles with his conscience, but is unable to come up with a new idea. While thinking, he starts to recall major happenings in his life, and all the women he has loved and left. An autobiographical film of Fellini, about the trials and tribulations of film making.

The quote displayed in the piece comes from the end of the film, as Guido (and by extension, Fellini) is still contemplating his life and his film-making – emphasizing art for the enjoyment of it instead of a constant expectation to earn money or to please the public. Even this piece of art stands against that idea – it’s made of clear plastic with solid wood pieces, and if you’re staring at it head on or just walking past it, you don’t get to appreciate its beauty – and it especially stood out surrounded by other pieces, many of which were commissioned.

Vegan Donuts and Musical Pub Crawl

Posted on by
1

Today was a wonderful day. We started our day in class talking about No’s Knife which I really enjoyed because of the perspective everyone else gave on it. I think that is the biggest thing I enjoy about class. The readings are extremely interesting but I can only interpret so much out of it. I always love seeing how other people interpret things and I think that concept can be applied to most things we are seeing here in Dublin. After class we went to the Hugh Lane Gallery which I wrote about in my other post. Across the street was the Garden of Remembrance which I found extremely powerful because it was insane how all those people lost their lives to just be in a free country. I enjoyed sitting down there and just looking around to take it all in. Earlier in the day Shana had talked to me about this place that has vegan donuts and I was like um I have to go there. So after the Garden of Remembrance we went to that donut place and it was SO good I could have cried. The food here has just been absolutely incredible. Afterwards we went to this extremely good falafel place and it was honestly one of the best falafel wraps I’ve ever had. Then we went to this musical pub crawl which was my favorite part of the day. As a musician, I extremely enjoyed them talked about their music and how it impacts their culture. I felt like I really connected to them in that sense because music is such a huge part of my life as well.

Hugh Lane Gallery

Posted on by
Reply

Today I experienced my very first art gallery, at the Hugh Lane Exhibit in Dublin. I was amazed by the collections of beautiful artwork and the variety that was offered. As we continue to contemplate place and the theories of Cresswell that set the tone for this trip, I entered the gallery with a very specific mind-set. I was planning on viewing the art in relation to where the paintings were set, or where the artist would have been when the art work was created. However, as I ventured further through the exhibits, I noticed something that I thought fit much better. One thing that really caught my eye was the “art studio.” I was confused at first because it just looked like someone forgot to close a door and had exposed a huge mess, but then I realized it was the “studio” of one of the featured artists. A quote on the wall explained how the artist felt he could not work in any other space; he preferred the untidiness and organized madness of his studio. I found this so relevant to what we have been discussing because in a way, this studio shaped him into the successful artist that he turned out to be. On the other hand, one could also argue that he shaped the studio into the way it was. Either way, it makes for a very interesting and relevant discussion of how Cresswell’s theories apply to more than just literature, but all forms of art and expression.

Another piece that caught my eye was “Drawing for ‘Tank'” by Edward and Nancy Kienholz. This piece, as the description beside explained, was part of an entire exhibit about a young African American woman. The wheel in the top right shows different possibilities of the type of life she may live, and the items in the sink depict the type of life she may currently live. It is amazing how we feel we may be defined by the place we live, the things we have, and the predisposition we are born into. I feel that this piece highlighted to role that “place” holds in the lives of people. This piece was also very different from the pieces in other exhibits, but I really appreciated it and felt as though I had made a connection and drawn meaning out of it.

Reading in place at the Garden of Remembrance

Posted on by
Reply

Before I left the United States for Ireland, I read The Cambridge Companion to Irish Modernism, which helped me better understand the nuances of modern Irish literature. Most of the essays in the anthology outline the distinctions between an Irish revivalist and an Irish modernist and the effects of these differences on Irish authors and literature. W.B. Yeats, an Irish revivalist, was a nationalist whose inner circle was comprised of many participants in the Easter Rising. Several of his poems are dedicated to Maude Gonne, a prominent member of the nationalist movement. At the time of Yeats’s death, W.H. Auden had just crossed the Atlantic on his way from England to America. Auden’s poem “In Memory of W.B. Yeats” is an elegy for Yeats in which Auden penned the famous phrase “poetry makes nothing happen.”

The Garden of Remembrance, featuring  Children of the Lir, a statue designed by Oisín Kelly, and a plaque showcasing Liam Mac Uistín’s poem “We Saw a Vision,” is dedicated to the participants of various uprisings who gave their lives for Irish freedom. Even though Yeats didn’t die for the nationalist movement, it was surreal to stand in a place dedicated to his friends who did die for the cause of Irish freedom and read an elegy written for him by an English-American poet. This intersection of place and identity (of both Yeats and Auden) is what I love so much about Transatlantic Modernism. The complexity of the history and citizenry of both men intersecting in single poem is a testament to the efficacy of literature as a medium through which we express the complexities of life.

Hugh Lane Gallery

Posted on by
Reply

This piece of art was in the Hugh Lane Gallery today. It is a piece by Anne Madden and her Colours of the Wind collection. I chose this because it caught my eye and was my favorite of that collection. I felt it had a lot of depth behind it as it looked like several things, as I saw it as being an eye or a vagina. Both of those things I felt can be very powerful in a work of art. This gallery struck me because I’ve always loved art, and throughout my childhood my love for art galleries has grown and grown. When I was younger and on family vacations we always went to various art galleries throughout the US and throughout London and France where I went many moons ago. The art gallery had almost a comforting sense of place for me. Since traveling to a foreign country is not something I do on a regular basis I feel like on this trip I’m always doing something out of my parameters and comfort zone. I think the gallery made this sense of place to me because of the art in it. Art is something that everyone can enjoy. It’s something where you can appreciate the raw talent and emotion of someone else, and thats extremely powerful. The sense of place an artist has in a gallery is different than one of a bystander I believe. My sister is an artist, so when we used to go to different art museums that place had a different meaning to her than it did me. I find it amazing that this art gallery can bring so many people together and give people a sense of place. It’s a sense of place to just enjoy the raw talent an artist has, and take in all of the knowledge and emotion behind someone.

Hugh Lane Gallery ??

Posted on by
Reply


Today was one of my favorite days so far.  We started off the day by discussing “The rising of the moon”  by Lady Gregory. As I mentioned in class, I found it very interesting how she managed to convey a political message in such a smooth way, without necessarily attacking the English mandate. During this period of time many writers focus primarily in writing about  socioeconomic issues and cultural aspects of Ireland because it was more relatedable. This allowed them to target a larger audience. After class, we headed towards: Hugh Lane Gallary. From the moment we arrived, I was blown away. The building itself was absolutely beautiful, and very elegant. The illumination of the place created a very refreshing  environment. It definitely stimulated my brain. From the moment I walked into the main hall I knew that I wanted to be there. Another thing that I liked about the Gallery  was the fact that there was so much space to navigate through the place , and through the paintings that even when there were other people around , there were moments when you kind of have your own private space. This improved the quality of my experience. It allowed me to take my time to appreciate every piece, and their origins. The selection of pieces was magnificent. There were pieces from all over the world , with very different techniques and styles.One of the things that stood out to me were a couple statements given by  Francis Bacon. The first one was ” For some reason the moment the moment I saw this place I knew that I could work here. I am very influenced by places- by the atmosphere of a room”  ” I can only paint here in my studio. I’ve plenty of others ,but been for here nearly thirty years now and it suits me very well. I can’t work in place that are too tidy. It’s much easier for me to pain in a place like this which is a mess. I don’t know why but it helps me . ”  This immediately remind me of Cresswell’s work and concept of place. Cresswell mentioned the theory of environmental determinism which states that the physical environment of a place affects directly who we are, and how interact, and the path we follow. It also serves to prove Cresswell view on how places can help shape our character and understanding of life. His second statement was once a gain related with terms mentioned on cresswell’s text : Phenomenology,Ontology and memory. His studio , was special because he he created it when he decided to add his personal touch to it. It was a place where we felt empowered,which is a characteristic of ontology, and an addition it hold significance because of all the memories he had in his particular location.

Musical Pub Crawl

Posted on by
1

Anytime I visit a new city, a new place, I try and immerse myself into the culture as best I can – read (or at least purchase) local authors’ books, eat the local food, and listen to local music. While I loved the Literary Pub Crawl, I think tonight’s Musical Pub Crawl won me over. As a singer/musician, music holds a special place in my heart, and hearing and seeing the passion these two gentlemen had tonight for their music was perfect. You could tell they love what they do and love getting their passion out to as many people as possible.

One of my favorite parts about Irish music is how quickly it can worm its way into your heart. It’s nearly impossible to passively listen to it – you either tap your foot, clap your hands, sing along, dance, or think about your own memories in relation to the lyrics. I think in that way, its incredible the power Irish music has in transporting you to different memories and places. I know when I listen to any of the songs they played this evening, I’ll remember how wonderful they were and how much fun this pub crawl was, but also what the music made me feel and what it made me think of. Irish music is so full of passion and drive that it’s impossible to forget.