This new work is still very much in flux and will be a collision of the two practices, at points which they both intersect and pull apart from eachother. I am interested in the dynamics that might occur between the Eleanor's use of the camera as a first person viewpoint, and the highly eroticized female body that is performed in my work. The collaboration feels full of possibility and tensions that might occur between homeliness and erotica, game playing and gazing, hiding and being seen, the safety or restriction of containment versus the vulnerability or pleasure of exposure.
Evolved at this point only through conversation, the piece will only finally come together on the night of the performance. This deliberately precarious method of working we hope will give a sense of urgency, risk and rawness to the piece. I’ll be flying by the seat of my pants, but at least I’ll be wearing some.
The context of Never Never and Elsewhere also presents a new venture for my practice. “An Irish queer literary journal dedicated to publishing creative, autobiographical and memoir writings”, could present a shift in the understanding or assumption of a heterosexualised dynamics of the gaze of mainstream culture, to a more complex understanding of erotic performance and spectatorship.
Never Never and Elsewhere is an Irish literary journal dedicated to publishing creative autobiographical and memoir writings by lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and trans writers. The title of Volume II is 'Memoirs of Youth' and includes writings from Senator David Norris, Ailbhe Smyth, Ciarán Rua, Stephen Quinn and Gillian Watt, amongst others.
Working with curator and visual artist Aine Macken, 'Memoirs of Youth' has collected imagery from seven artists. Facilitated by Exchange Dublin, there will be a dedicated location to launch the limited edition publication with exciting new work both being exhibited and within the publication itself.
Artists include Peter Fingleton, Catherine Harty, Gerry Lee, Kieran McBride, Katherine Nolanand TueMeTues , along with a new body of work from Áine Macken's own practice. There will be workshops and events occurring throughout the week including a special workshop from Gerry Lee (a recent graduate with an MA in Art Therapy) on Wednesday at 7pm. The night of Saturday the 19th of February will see Katherine Nolan perfoming a brand new piece along with selected personal readings from the journal from 7pm.
All contributors are responding to the theme of the collection and viewers can expect both written and visual works operating within the complicated sphere of the memoir, the record, and the creative response to one's influence and history.
Launch on Saturday, 19 February 2011, 7pm
Exhibition 14th to 20th February.
Exchange Dublin, Exchange Street Upper, Temple Bar
