Kildare Arts Collective – ART FEEDS… the video artists
ART FEEDS… by Kildare Art Collective & Friends is a collaborative project developed as a platform to process and document our lives throughout these strange times, while creating an opportunity for communication, conversation and crossover between disciplines. 31 participating artists worked collaboratively exchanging ideas and working together using alternative methods of communication such as email, letter, carrier pigeon, phone calls, telepathy, video calls and text. The diverse work created during this project is an eclectic mix with interesting themes and details arising as we adjust to our new reality and navigate changes to how we work together. See video tour and full listings of participating artists here.
For this blog post we are focussing on the video work that was created as part of ART FEEDS..
Stephen Connelly & Laura Caffrey Dandelion/Saline Solutions
Laura Caffrey is a teacher and poet based in Galway. She has an MA in Writing from NUIG and is the poetry editor of HeadStuff. Her poems have appeared in various places including The Stinging Fly and Crannóg, and in 2018 she was shortlisted for the Cúirt New Writing prize.
Stephen Connelly is a graduate in Fine Art Printmaking from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. He is currently based in Newbridge, Co. Kildare and works mainly with video/audio installations.
Martina McDonald & Wayne McManamon A Conversation
“This piece alludes to a conversation in time. The soundscape unfolds from natural noises to layers of musical tones representing the establishment of new energy after a time of quietness and ease. While the visuals illustrate natural organisms being reassembled over time through stop motion animation – conveying a sense of structures being pieced back together. Both the sound and visuals play homage to the reconnection to nature during times of uncertainty and convey a sense of repetition similar to that of daily life. The artwork is a conversation between musician and artist, and between human and nature, with a new beginning in sight.”
Martina McDonald is a multidisciplinary visual artist from Co. Kildare. Primarily focused within the realms of photography, video and sculpture, she has exhibited work on both a national and international scale. In addition to her artistic practice, Martina has worked professionally as a gallery manager and curator within the cultural sector for over 10 years, in Ireland, Australia and the Netherlands. www.martinamcdonald.com
Wayne McManamon is a self taught musician based in Co. Kildare. With almost 18 years experience of playing, writing and recording music with several bands and artists, Wayne is now an established music teacher with a few album releases under his belt
Conor Lane & Peter Lane Covid Moodswing
“During the Covid 19 global pandemic it seemed to Peter and Conor Lane that time had slowed down and nature was a bit closer to them , even though they knew it was all about perspective . So during many conversations about the reality of the situation and the unreality , the perceived distortion of time and nature they managed to record through sound and video a small piece of what they experienced. This piece is called Covid Moodswing.”
International artist Conor Lane is a graduate (B.A. fine art hons) in Sculpture from GMIT who lives in Newbridge. He is a sculptor with international sales for his unique style of bog oak sculptures and crafts. Having studied sculpture he also works in conceptual mediums such as sound, video, installation, performance and assemblage. His work addresses socio-political awareness and perceived differences.
Peter Lane is a rights-based advocate who works with children and young people who have care experience. He is interested in providing a platform to seldom-heard voices. He is also a musician, film-maker and one half of The Care Experience Podcast. Peter is a father to two young girls who teach him new things every day
Fabiana Scaglioni Cactus Lady/Here Inside/Here Outside
Fabiana Scaglioni holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and since 2010 has worked in art teaching. She flows between various media seeking to express her poetics.
Ciara Ahern & Aoife O’Callaghan Untitled
“Ciara and Aoife are experimenting with mixed media, involving video, painting, photography and data moshing/glitch art. They are considering the idea of ‘seeing the unseen’ through the process of documenting and examining mundane activities but looking at them from a different perspective; transforming the ordinary to the extraordinary.”
Kildare based Ciara Aherne is studying Education and Painting at the National College of Art and Design. Working through the medium of oil paint, she explores the theme ‘lost in translation’ through the visual representation of a self-reflective commentary as auto-dictation and a dissimulation of personal experience.
Aoife O’Callaghan from Gorey, Co. Wexford is a final year student studying Fine Art & Media at the National College of Art and Design. She has a background in science that has influenced her work which combines her interests in science and psychology with art.
KILDARE ART COLLECTIVE:
Founded in 2017 and gathering momentum year on year, Kildare Art Collective is an ever evolving group of immensely enthusiastic, hard working and creative artists. We are dedicated to supporting the professional development and promotion of each member of the collective and also the wider community of Kildare based artists. We want to make good things happen by providing a platform and ongoing opportunities for Kildare based artists working across a broad spectrum of disciplines and themes. Our intention is to establish networks throughout the county, create and show contemporary work and encourage development through experimentation and collaboration between artists. As committed artists we contribute to the cultural life of the county by engaging in a meaningful way with the wider community; we achieve this by remaining enthusiastic, engaged, malleable and open to new possibilities and opportunities!
ART FEEDS… by Kildare Art Collective & Friends is supported by June Fest, Riverbank Arts Centre and Kildare Arts Service.