Just one week left to see Orla Whelan's show. The title of the exhibition  In Paint; In Teeth; In Mountains; In Stars refers to a chapter in the novel Moby Dick in which the narrator recounts the abundance of images of whales, seen virtually everywhere by a suitably obsessed whaleman. These images range from man made representations to fleeting illusions in nature.  This exhibition is an attempt to explore the resonance and meaning of a range of images through isolation, repetition, visual connections, and gaps.

This exhibition marks a new new departure in Whelan’s practice. Moving away from a purely linear hang, the artist has collaborated with architects, abgc, to create an intervention in the space that will create a particular kind of encounter with the work and connect the ground and first floor galleries. The installation aims to activate the space between the viewer and paintings and to allow the viewer to create their own narratives.

Exhibition runs: 9^th December 2011 to 28th January 2012

www.thelab.ie

Last chance to see this exhibition as it closes tomorrow Saturday 21st!

Continuing with its series of shows of emerging artists in the Cube space, the LAB is pleased to present new work by Dublin based artist Aoibheann Greenan.

Rodeo Oracle refers to the ideological debate surrounding the issue of indigenous whaling in the Pacific Northwest. The ongoing struggle of North American Indian tribes to practice their treaty-protected right to hunt whales is one that resonates with attempts by indigenous people worldwide to maintain their customary subsistence patterns and cultural self- determination. Close reading of this dispute reveals an almost colonial Western perspective, in the worst instances prejudiced and patronising at best. Rodeo Oracle humorously manifests the romantic ideas projected onto the 'other' by the Western gaze.

We had a visit this week from Holy Child Pre-School, Sean McDermott Street with their teacher Enda Wyley. The children came to the Gallery to see Orla Whelan's exhibition and then painted their responses to the show back in the classroom. We've included one of the paintings here. Alisha (age 4) really liked Orla's painting of a whale and the circles that feature throughout the show! Thanks Alisha for sending this in.

Orla Whelan in conversation with Robert Armstrong, Wednesday 25^th January at 1.15pm

This informal artists’ talk provides an opportunity to hear artist Orla Whelan discuss her current exhibition, interests and influences with Robert Armstrong, artist and Head of Painting at the National College of Art and Design.

abgc is Andrew Brady and Gearóid Carvill. They established their partnership in 2007 in South Studios a creative hub in New Row South, Dublin 8. Since then they have developed their practise with the tenet of devoting 1 day per week to those self directed, multidisciplinary projects that had originally inspired them to work together.

Following their recent collaboration with artist Orla Whelan for her current show at the LAB, they will discuss their collaborative process in relation to recent work.

Come join us for our next Baby on Board event in The LAB on Friday 3rd February from 11.00am to 12.30pm. The morning offers the opportunity to meet other parents for an informal chat and coffee in the gallery space as well as the chance to catch the current exhibition. There's plenty of room for buggies and baby changing facilities. We are happy to welcome babies and toddlers for this event! It'll be a chance to see our new exhibitions that open the night before - Undertow, a group show curated by Alice Maher and Aideen Barry and Lean, new work for the Cube by Fitzgerald and Reilly.

For more information please contact the Arts Office on Tel: 01222 7843/ 222 7848 or e-mail: sheena.barrett@dublincity.ie.

The LAB is pleased to be part of First Thursdays Dublin, the name given to cultural spaces opening their doors after hours and offering an extra chance to see art, culture and events in a number of venues between 6 – 8pm on the first Thursday of every month.

The LAB is delighted to present Undertow, an Ormston House project curated by Alice Maher and Aideen Barry presenting the work of 11 Irish and international artists:

Gimena Blanco | Paul Hallahan | Lisa Marie Johnson | Ali Kirby | Karin Lindholm Veronica Nicholson | Will O’Kane | Padraig Robinson | Kristian Smith | Ruby Wallis Ian Wieczorek

Undertow is that which flows beneath the surface. An undertow is a current that runs counter to, or in hidden parallel with the main current. The world beneath the surface is one of refracted imagery and unseen forces. We think we know what is there but we are not sure of its true form and density. In psychological terms we may fear the undertow because we cannot see it clearly, or we may indeed be attracted to its dangerous depths. What appears readable on the surface may at a deeper level be totally contrary to that reading.

It is with this premise in mind that Aideen Barry and Alice Maher selected the work of 11 artists from the Ormston House membership, carefully orchestrating a conversation with the artists, the space and the very public environment in which these works are presented, they have selected work that ranges from the absurd to the banal, to the comical, to the abject. Areas of alternative, forbidden or unseen lifestyles and practices are key to the curatorial discourse surrounding Undertow and the audiences will be drawn into the counter-current beneath the glassy surfaces of reality.

The exhibition travels to the LAB from Ormston House in Limerick. Ormston House is supported by The Arts Council of Ireland, Creative Limerick and Limerick City Council Arts Office.

LEAN

A drawing using volume, structure and shadow.

LEAN has been created specifically for the Cube space at the LAB. The scale and content of this work has been dictated by the double height of the CUBE space, which is viewable from outside and in and also from above, three distinct viewpoints. The combination of structure, ambient light and sound, with projected film and fragmented recorded sound allows the opportunity for a narrative to be imagined.

 Exhibition closes Saturday 3^rd March

Heirlooms & Hand-me-downs is the final part of a public art commission undertaken by Chris Reid. The book is part of a larger DCC Public Art commission where the stories of residents within the Dublin 8 area were recorded, and immortalized in the form of 20 heritage plaques, cast in bronze and affixed to the external walls of the flat complex as a lasting legacy to the lives and stories of all the people who have lived there.  The beautiful book is a history of the last one hundred years as told through the memories of people who live or have lived in a small corner of the Liberties in Dublin 8. 

For more information on Heirlooms and Hand-me-downs contact Chris @ chrisreid3@dublin.ie    

Website: www.chrisreidartist.com

116 proposals were received for the Strand 2 - – Interaction with the City. The  short-listing process has now been completed and it is intended that the final list of proposals to be commissioned will be announced in February 2012.

Wild & Wonderful is a partnership dance project between CoisCéim Broadreach and Dublin City Council Arts, Sport & Leisure and Community Development Sections. The project will take place from March to June 2012. Now entering the fifth year of working in partnership, this is Dublin City Council’s flagship project as part of Bealtaine Festival, a celebration of creativity in older age, and a core part of CoisCéim Broadreach Elders’ programme.

Each year the project takes a different theme which has included the music of Edith Piaf (La Vie en Rose 2009), well known opera arias (Dance Arias 2010), film stars from the Silent era (Silent Idols 2011). Last year Silent Idols attracted over 300 participants to drop-in dance classes. Forty people joined a specially established dance ensemble and performed at six venues across Dublin to a total audience of approximately 1,000 people.

For a look at this years venues click here:Wild & Wonderful Programme

What's your background?

I'm an Arts graduate from UCD where I studied History of Art and French and subsequently Arts Administration & Culture Policy. I previously worked as Project Manager for Breaking Ground, Ballymun Regeneration's art commissioning programme. I have also worked at the National Museum of Ireland and the National Gallery of Ireland, Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, Artworking Consulting and at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice. I joined Dublin City Council’s Arts Office 6 years ago just after the LAB was built.

How would you describe a typical week/day in this position?

One of the great things about this job is the variety. The day usually starts with a quick look around the exhibition space, going through emails and checking in with the rest of team at the Arts Office.  We organise or support a range of different programmes that take place across Dublin City’s neighbourhoods, not just at the LAB but also at venues around Dublin in schools, neighbourhood centres, sports centres etc and each week is a mixture of planning, meetings, events and arts initiatives that connect artists and the public in a range of contexts.

What do you like about working here at The LAB?

There’s a really great team here and I’m very proud to work for Dublin City Council. I have been curator of the LAB gallery from the very beginning and that’s been really exciting. I love meeting artists, talking to them about their work, working together to figure out ways of realising ambitious projects and engaging new audiences. Our exhibitions show emerging artists and emerging ideas. It’s a clear remit but with huge flexibility around what we programme and the collaborations we encourage. I work with artists to put together a programme of talks, seminars and publications to really engage people. Mick Wilson from GradCAM has described The LAB as “a permeable space with a healthy eclecticism to function in multiple ways for multiple stakeholders, supporting a community of users while being open to new ways of working” and I really like that ethos.

What are those things that motivate you to do this job?

So many things. The amazing experiences you have, working with great artists, arts organisations and communities all over the City, those unexpected moments when you are working away at your desk are stopped in your tracks by the voices of Sandra Oman or Janyce Condon rehearsing for Opera in the Open or being thought how to waltz during Bealtaine at the Ballyfermot Tea Dance! I also love working with colleagues from the many diverse departments that make up the City Council.

What qualities are most important for an arts officer?

It’s such a varied job I think you need to bring different qualities to different situations but overall I think you need to be passionate and informed about the arts but also to be empathetic. Being able to understand where someone is coming from is really important so that you can build relationships of trust that allow you to critique work in a useful way and also bring people into an idea and help make it happen. 

Fingal Film Festival’s mission is to enhance diversity, empowerment and
participation in media and in community development more widely. We aim to
serve, empower and promote all communities of Fingal, their activities and
their right to be seen and heard in the Festival.  We will do this by
providing affordable access to screenings, workshops, and seminars,
involving multi-cultural groups, community groups and organisations, and by
marketing our event through every possible channel in Fingal by innovative,
creative, critical, and entertaining screenings that focus on real people
and communities in all their diversity from around the world. We aim to
spotlight and build the identity of Fingal. Film Festivals are the bringing
together of creative communities, celebrating diversity in the community
with multi-cultural groups and local creative talent. The Fingal Film
Festival will be an event everyone can participate in. This will be the
first ever Fingal Film Festival ever to be screened for National and
International applications.

SEEKING VOLUNTARY PROD CO-ORDINATOR:
Some experience would be an advantage, but good computer skills and a
general all rounder in the office, good people skills is a must.
Start Date : Mid January two days a week part-time until month of March
which will be full time.

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS
Some experience with Voluntary work an advantage, only over 18's apply
please.
Start Date : 3 x Weekends Sat & Sun in March (3-4 )& (10 - 11) & (17 -18)
plus one full week in March from the 19th - 23rd March 2012

Website : www.fingalfilmfest.com
If interested please state what position and email CV to:
info@fingalfilmfest.com

Our fifth festival celebrating the Asian Lunar Spring Festival is here.

A special Chinese New Years Eve Carnival at Temple Bar Meeting House Square on Sun Feb 22^nd, Chinese Opera, Chinese Film Festival, Lecture Series, Dragon and Lion Dances, Martial Arts, A Science and Business Seminar Exhibitions, Sports, karaoke, workshops, artistic and cultural entertainment and fun for all ages will be part of this special festival celebrating the year of the Dragon. www.cny.ie

The Opera – Varvara Shavrova

Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, D2.

Jan 20^th – Feb 26^th 2012.

(Still from Video work ‘The Opera’ by Varvara Shavrova at Gallery of Photography Ireland © Varvara Shavrova)

To celebrate Chinese New Year 2012, the Gallery of Photography presents the Irish premier of The Opera, Varvara Shavrova’s

spellbinding work on traditional Peking Opera. The Opera is an artist’s insight into the fragile world of the Peking Opera, one of the most revered Chinese art forms. This visually stunning work will be presented as a projection installation in the main space of the Gallery of Photography in Temple Bar, and outdoor on the big screen at Meeting House Square. Associated activities include a seminar, discussion forum, guided tours, a fun Chinese-style family portrait studio and Peking Opera makeup workshops.

Visit www.galleryofphotography.ie for more info.  

Fingal Film Festival brings the national and international Film family together to celebrate the art and business of film making for three intense days in March 2012. FFF is a film festival, industry session programme and market place, controversial discussion and in-depth filmmaker master classes, as well as a wealth of inspirational films.

Fingal Film Festival’s first year to launch itself with exciting people. Each year, our goal is to attract leading names of Globe makers and executives in the industry. It is the perfect place to launch your latest Films, learn about the latest trends in production and discover new innovations and emerging talent.

The website www.fingalfilmfest.com, is where you can find all information about the event and for those who wish to submit material, all details are also on the website.

Please note there are a number of categories available including Best Newcomer Writer & Director in Fingal award and Best International Award so this is open to all!

Your support is really appreciated, as a community; we have to support the arts in Fingal. Regardless whether you have any interest in film or not, this is an extremely exciting venture right on our doorstep. We have a number of high profile guests and celebs coming to the event, we offering everything from seminars, screenings to markets and workshops.

 Information on booking tickets will be on our website in January 2012 come along and support the first ever launch of this Fingal Film festival 2012.